Tulsa Rain
by Greaserthings
Summary: Violet has returned after a tragic 5 year leave. She left because of tragedy, and is back in Tulsa because of it. Now, she has a daughter. Now Violet must fight like she never has before to keep her life the way it used to be, while having old feelings return for the friend she left behind in Tulsa.
1. Coming Home

Anything you recognize I dont own!

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><p>Driving into town, she thought to herself, <em>I hope this town is better than the last one.<em> Her brother had recently conacted her, and upon hearing her boyfriend had left her alone with a baby to raise, offered for her to go and live with him. She drove down the familiar street, in the East end of the neighbourhood. Violet had come back, with no other choice. As she neared the intersection, she stopped as the light turned yellow. She sighed to herself, and sat back. It had been an 8 hour drive. Not to mention the stops she had to make, for personal things, and the frequent off the road changing, she did for both her and her daughter. Her daughter, Hailey Noelle, was only a month old. Hailey was born on Christmas, and Violet (her mother) was there by herself. Violet's parents were not able to make it, and the Hailey's father was long gone.

Violet, was Hailey's mom's name. Violet was 21, and had brown hair, with blue/grey eyes. She was about 5'7, and was 'curvy' in the right places. As the light turned green, she accelerated, heading to the DX Gas Station. Violet put on her signal, and made a turn into the parking lot. She picked up Hailey, and climbed out. She walked towards the back of her truck, and took off the gas cap. She got out the pump with one hand, while holding Hailey in the other. She started to pump gas into her truck, and then she heard footsteps approaching her from behind.

"Do you need help ma'am?" A kind voice asked her from behind. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a greaser, with a head full of complicated swirls. She smiled sweetly, and replied,

"No thank-you. I'm getting used to this. Thanks though." He smiled, and walked away. She finished, and grabbing her wallet, she walked inside. No one was at the cash, so she walked around a little bit, looking at the magazines and food. She decided on getting a Pepsi, and a few chocolate bars. She walked back to the cash register, and upon hearing noises behind the counter she peered over, seeing a boy and a girl making out. She cleared her throat, and they broke apart quickly. The boy quickly stood up, and wiped his face, severely blushing. She smiled,

"Pump number 2" She said. He nodded and rang in her items. The total was $10.00. She pulled out a twenty dollar bill, and handed it to him, and walked away. She climbed into her truck, and drove to her new house. While driving down the street, she saw three boys walking. She noticed they were being tailed by a blue mustang. She drove up beside them, and pulled over. She noticed that 2 couldn't be older than 16, and the other couldn't be older than 20.

"You want a ride?" She asked them. The two younger boys nodded, and the one with the rusty hair wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt answered.

"Sure thing, doll face" And they climbed in. Violet picked up her daughter and placed her into her lap. Two-bit looked at Violet, his eyes narrowing. Violet started driving again, smiling, upon knowing who the boys were.

"Violet?" Two-bit said suddenly. She looked over at Two-bit, and noticed he hadn't really changed all that much.

"Hello Two-bit." He smiled, and Pony put an arm around her and gave her a one armed hug.

"It's nice to have you back Vivi. We missed you" Pony said quietly, using his nickname he had made for her.

"I missed y'all too. So where are y'all headed?"

"Home." Pony replied.

"Same address as before you left." Two-bit said filling her in. She smiled, and nodded. She turned left, and drove into the driveway.

"Hey Superman!" Two-bit called, walking into the house.

"What Two-bit?" He yelled back.

"You've got a girl here to see you!" He said in a sing song voice. She heard Darry grumble and then walk out of the kitchen holding a plate that he was drying. He noticed Violet standing there with Hailey and dropped the plate, resulting in it smashing, the sudden loud noise scaring Hailey, who in turn started to cry. Darry blushed a deep crimson, and bent down, picking up the pieces of shattered glass. Eventually, Hailey stopped crying, and Darry had picked up all the shattered glass. He put it in the garbage, and walked out to see Violet still standing in the same spot.

"So… Uh…" He tried.

"I was just giving the boys a ride. They were about to get jumped. " She told him quickly, and with that she walked out the door, and over to her truck. She opened the door, and saw Darry watching her from the front window. She sighed and put Hailey down next to her, and drove 3 houses down, and pulled into the driveway of a blue house with white shutters. The white paint on the porch was peeling, but other than that, it really hadn't changed. She picked up her daughter again, and got out of her car. She fished the key out of her pocket, and walked to the front door. She put the key in, and turned it. She heard the lock click, and opened the door. Her brother walked in, wearing only jeans, with his hair wet. He saw her, and Hailey, and walked over, giving the two a hug. After, she placed Hailey on the couch, and her brother enveloped her in a bear hug, and she began to cry in his shirt. He started to run his hand through her hair, and whisper comforting words to her. Eventually after calming down, both started to bring in boxes. She grabbed the first big one, and picked it up, and accidentally tripped. The box hit the floor, and everything fell out of the box.

"Shit!" She cried. She picked herself up, examining her elbow. She bent down again, and started to pick up her things.

"Need help?" A voice asked, causing Violet to look up. She saw the boy from the gas station standing there with a smirk on their faces. Violet hated people that did that.

"No." She said coldly, putting the rest of the things in the box, and walking into the house checking on her daughter. She walked out to see the two teenagers had now moved to the back of her truck, now looking at all of her stuff.

"Violet is a nice name," The one with the curly hair told her. "Is it your name or your daughters?" He asked, snickering. She resisted the urge to punch him. Ignoring both of them, she picked up another box, and brought it into the house. Upon hearing footsteps behind her, she quickly grabbed her heater, and walked into the living room seeing both boys around her daughter. Pointing the gun at the two teenagers, both quickly jumped back in surprise, and stood there with their hands in the air.

"Get. Out. Now" she said slowly. Steve and Soda slowly walked backwards, and when they reached the door, they ran fearing for their lives. Said teens kept running until they reached Soda's house. They bounded in the front door, and toppled over, landing on Two-bit who was just leaving. They got up, and tried to shake the scared look out their eyes.

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><p>"Y'all okay?" Johnny asked quietly, frightened at their sudden entrance. Both nodded.<p>

"Y'all seen the new girl?" Dally asked walking in, stepping over Two-bit, who was still lying on the floor.

"Yeah man. She came to the gas station today, about an hour ago. I'll tell ya, this one is a bit crazy. We went over on our way home from work, and she just about shot us." Steve said, while laughing.

"Shut up." Darry told them, being completely serious. Thus, causing Steve to laugh harder.

"What? You got a crush Superman?" he managed to get out.

"Steve, seriously shut up. You have no idea what that girl has been through." Darry said, getting ready to clock Steve if it came to it.

"What do you mean Dare? I mean we all know she left, but how come?" Pony asked quietly.

"Y'all really don't remember huh?" Some of them shook their heads. Pony, Two-bit and Soda knew who she was though. Darry smiled slightly, "Well, do you guys remember that time our parents were freaking out and not wanting us to go outside because there were feuds going on between gangs?" Everyone nodded their heads.

"Well, I knew her personally from school. At that time, she was also my girlfriend. Violet was the little sister of the leader of the biggest gangs in Tulsa. Violet's 2 older brothers had gotten involved in gangs, and dragged all of their friends into it. Her best friend was also in the gang. She knew she couldn't be a part of the gang, and didn't want to. She was a kind and didn't like the fighting. One night, near the end- and worst time of the feud- I was in the backseat of her oldest brother's car, holding her hand. She was sitting next to Josh, with me on the other side. Her brother was in the front seat with his girlfriend, and all of us were on the lookout for any sudden movements that would cost us our lives. They dropped me off at the front door, and drove three doors down to her house. Mom and Dad had come out behind me, watching them to make sure they all got in safely. When all of them were out of the car, they turned to us and waved. A cherry red mustang drove by, and gunned them all down. When we knew they weren't going to stop and get out, we ran over. Violet was shot, but ignoring her pain, she ran over to see if her brother and best friend were okay. Her brother, was shot in the head, and as for Josh, he was shot three times in the chest. She was holding his head in her lap, quietly crying over his body. He was still alive, Violets parents upon having heard the gun shots, called 911. Violet's parents and her brother rushed outside. They were too late. Josh whispered something to Violet, and she leaned down closer to hear it. She winced as the pain from her wound set it, but continued listening. I'm not exactly sure what he said, but I think he told her that he loved her, and he always had. She cried harder when he told her this, and hugged him tight. She kissed him, and after the kiss, his body went limp. The ambulance arrived too late, because Josh was already dead, so was her brother, and her brother's girlfriend. Violet herself had passed out from blood loss, and had stopped breathing. Hours of waiting in the emergency room, finally the doctor came out and said she would physically be okay. He wasn't too sure how she would be okay emotionally though. I went into see her, and she couldn't look me in the eye. I knew then, that she didn't love me like she used to. I knew then, that she blamed herself for the death of Josh. She broke up with me later that week." Darry ended taking a deep breath looking around at the room of now silent greasers. Johnny had a look of sorrow and understanding, Dally still had that cold look in the eye, but most of the others had a look of sadness, understanding why Darry never really dated someone after her.

"Why don't you go see if she needs help putting things away and just get to know her better?" Pony said, bringing everyone back to life. Darry looked at the clock. It was only 6 o'clock. He nodded getting up,

"There are leftovers in the fridge. There should be enough for everyone, and make sure Johnny eats something." Darry said smiling at the younger greaser, who in turn smiled back. The older greaser put on his jacket, and walked out the door. He walked the three houses down, instantly having flashbacks of that awful night. He took a deep breath and walked up to her door. He knocked three times, paused, then again twice. It was their signal as teenagers to know who it was.

"One second!" She called. A few seconds later, she answered the door with her hair in a messy bun, with white and black plaid pajama pants, with a plain white v-neck. She was also holding Hailey, trying to burp her.

"Hey" Darry said quietly. She smiled in return.

"Do you want to come in? Sorry, my brother just headed out..." She said quietly, explaining why she was in her pajamas. He nodded, and followed her inside. There were mostly boxes everywhere. She grabbed some clothes off the chair in the kitchen, and Darry sat. Looking around, he realised that it hadn't changed much, that it was still the same house that it was when they were 14. She noticed him looking around.

"Not much has changed eh?" He said quietly. She smiled.

"With this house? No…" She said softly. Hailey began to drift off, and she went in and put Hailey in her room.

"Is that your daughters room?" Darry asked, confused because it was the biggest room there.

"No, I just haven't been able to set up her crib yet. I was planning to do it now…" She told him.

"I can help. I don't mind. Two sets of hands is better than one." She smiled, and walked into the room that used to be her brothers. Darry noticed the room was full of baby things. Violet went over to the closet and pulled out a big box that had the crib in it. They opened it and started working.

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><p>2 hours later, they had the crib built. Darry was finishing up, while Violet had to leave to feed her daughter. He walked out the kitchen.<p>

"Thank you so much Darry. I appreciate it." She walked over to her wallet and pulled out a twenty. She handed it to Darry.

"What? I can't take this," Darry said. She just smiled and walked away. Violet walked into her daughters room, to see that there were already blankets in the bed, and the dresser was already set up. She sighed, and put Hailey into her crib. She pulled the blanket up to Hailey's stomach and walked back out the living room. Grabbing another box, she continued to put things away.

_What were things going to be like now that Darry was in the picture?_

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><p>This is the edited version, with a few fixes. Thank a bunch to <em><strong>GreaserGirlie, and Anon. <strong>_

_**Anon**_: Thanks a bunch for your review. At first I didn't know what to expect, but I'm glad that you took the time to leave a review like that. And thank you for your help. I didn't realize a lot of things, and I was going off of what my imagination said to do. Do you have an account on here? Because I would seriously like to involve you in continuing with this story. Thanks a bunch!

_**GreaserGirlie: **_Thank you so much for the fast review! I will try my best to keep it updated!

~~~GreaseMonkey014


	2. Some of Violets history

S. E. Hinton owns the Outsiders, I own the OC's, as usual. Actually, I don't own Lexi, **GreaserGirlie **owns her :)

Oh, and Robert Frost owns the poem _Fire and Ice. _

Anyways, On with Tulsa Rain.

Fair warning, I hope it's okay!

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><p>When Darry got home, he went over to his wallet, and put the money that Violet had given him and went into the kitchen to see Johnny sitting there playing poker with Dally and Two-bit. Ponyboy had been reading on the front porch, and Darry wasn't sure where Steve or Sodapop was. He looked over Dally's shoulder, and Steve's shoulder, and saw that both had crappy hands. He walked around the kitchen table, and saw that Johnny had a pretty good hand. Darry smiled, and took out some leftover chicken and began to warm it up. Ponyboy walked back inside, and went over to the couch.<p>

"How did it go Darry?" Pony asked. Darry grabbed his plate, and walking into the living room, he sat in his chair.

"It was okay Pony. But, I don't know. It seems like she's hiding something. I helped her build her daughters crib though." Ponyboy smiled.

"That's it?" He asked. Darry looked at him funny.

"What do you mean Ponyboy? What was I supposed to do?" Pony simply shook his head, and getting up, walked into his room. The phone rang, and Darry reached over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello Sir, may I speak with Darrel Curtis please?" The voice asked.

"This is he. What can I help you with?"

"This is officer Kinicky, down at the station. I have two boys here and they say their names are Pepsi Matthews and Ricky Cade. They say this is the number to call to have you bail them outta jail." Darry sighed. So that's where his brother and his brother's friend were.

"I'll be right there sir." Officer Kinicky hung up the phone, and walked over to the two greasers that were sitting in a cell.

"That was awesome! Let's do it again!" Soda exclaimed. Steve started laughing, and noticed the officer that arrested them was watching them.

"What's up Officer?" Steve asked.

"Well _Ricky_, Darrel is on his way to pick you up." Steve smiled at the officer. DArry arrived 5 minutes later and picked up the two boys and brought them back to the house, to find a sleeping Johnny on the couch, Two-bit who was watching Mickey Mouse, and Dally was no were to be seen. Soda said good night and went to be, because he had work tomorrow, as did Darry.

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><p>At seven a.m, Violet woke up to the cries of her daughter. When she pulled on a bathrobe, she heard Hailey stop crying, and become silent. Fearing something had happened to her daughter, she ran to her daughters room to see her brother already there, rocking Hailey and singing the baby a lullaby with his back to Violet. Violet smiled at the sight, and leaned on the door frame listening. When Hailey was asleep again, her brother put her back in her crib.<p>

"You know, you are one lucky girl to have a baby as cute as her. If I was her father, I sure wouldn't have run, I would of stayed around." He said quietly.

"Jay… He didn't run off…" Violet said quietly. Jay turned around, and looked at her, not exactly knowing what he meant.

"What do you mean Vi?" He asked her quietly.

"He died. We were out near the cottages with a few of our friends from school, and they were drunk. I wasn't because I was already pregnant with Hailey, and Gabe wasn't either because he knew I hated it when he drank. So, we were cuddled up and just talking about names. At the time I was… maybe 3 months, and I had known from the start. I knew right away that I was, and I was okay with it. We were engaged, and we had been dating for a few years. All of Gabe' s friends were out on the doc's fooling around, until we heard a huge splash. We ignored it, until one of his friends stumbled in the door, claiming it was his little brother, Charlie, that had fallen in. Gabe rushed out to help, and jumped in to save him. He did his best to help, and did manage to save his brother, but because his brother kept pulling him down, trying to get up for air, Gabe… Gabe didn't… A-and well… Charlie kept pulling him down… and-and.. I didn't think to help… It was all my fault that Hailey doesn't have a dad…. It was what Gabe wanted to name her… Hailey Noelle, because she was due on Christmas…" Violet finished in tears. Her brother walked over and gave her a hug. Violet continued to cry into his chest, finally able to tell the story to someone and get it off of her chest. To be honest, she did blame herself. There was no one else to blame for his death, because everyone else was drunk.

At the funeral, Gabe's parent's wouldn't look at their son, and stood side by side with Violet. That's what was the most hurtful thing that could happen. Later that week, Charlie committed suicide, he left a note saying he didn't mean to kill his brother, and that he could not live the rest of his life with his parents hating him and having no support. So, he shot himself in the stomach, and through that pain, he hung himself. Violet was the one to find him, and that is an image that was burned in her mind the minute she saw it.

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><p>Meanwhile at the Curtis house hold, everyone was up and ready. Soda and Steve climbed into Darry's truck, and Ponyboy and Johnny ate their breakfast.<p>

"So, I was thinking afterschool today we could just head to the library and do some of our project?" Pony asked Johnny. Johnny nodded, and continued eating. Both boy's washed the dishes and began to walk to school. When they got there, they went their separate ways, and met up again at the end of the day and walked to the library. When the two got there, Ponyboy walked around and grabbed a bunch of books that he thought they could use for their project. He gave his bag and stuff to Johnny to watch at the table they got, and dropped the books off there. He turned around quickly bumping into another girl. The girl fell, and dropped all of the books she was carrying. Pony looked down, and saw the girl sitting there and quickly helped her up. She smiled in thanks, and at the same time, both crouched to pick up her books, managing to bump heads. The girl smiled at Pony, who was rubbing his head. She picked up the rest of her books, and stood up. Pony stood as well and the girl extended her hand. Ponyboy smiled, and shook her hand shyly. He could feel his ears start to go red. Sure, he had rescued kids from a burning church, but when it came to girls, he was still shy. The girl had brown hair that went a little past her shoulders, and was as tall as Pony, which was different for a change, because he had grown a bit. She also had chocolate brown eyes that had a soft, caring, and almost a laughing look to them.

"Lexi." The girl said shaking his hand, smiling slightly.

"Ponyboy." Lexi smiled.

"You and your friend saved all of those kids right?" Pony nodded, still slightly nervous. She smiled, and started to walk away, until Ponyboy saw some of the books she was carrying.

"Robert Frost?" He asked. Lexi stopped, and turned to look at him.

"Yeah, I like some of his poems. Like 'Fire and Ice'." She told him.

"Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to know that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice." Both started and finished. Ponyboy smiled sheepishly, and Lexi smirked.

"My favorite poem is Nothing Gold Can Stay. For the longest time, I didn't know the meaning, until one day a friend helped me figure it out." Ponyboy confessed. Lexi shifted the books to her other arm, and one fell forward a bit. The title read '_Gone with the Wind'. _Ponyboy smiled.

"Do you want to sit down?" Lexi nodded. The two talked for the next few minutes, and Johnny got up, saying he had to go do something, feeling the awkwardness  
>between the three of them. Once Johnny left, the two couldn't shut up. At about five, an older boy began to watch the two. To Pony, he looked like a soc, and an angry boyfriend.<p>

"Hey Lexi, you… don't have a boyfriend do you?" Lexi looked around, and saw that her brother was watching them.

"No, and that's my brother Tyler. He's very over-protective. Do you have a girlfriend?" Ponyboy shook his head, and waved at Tyler, who in turn glared back. Lexi took a look at the clock, and realized that Tyler was there to pick her up. She gathered her books, and quickly scribbled something on a scrap piece of paper, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She blushed furiously, and walked away quickly. He looked down at the paper, and discovered it was a phone number. He quickly put it in his pocket, and gathered his things, as well as Johnny's. He walked out, and saw Violet loading groceries into the truck. Johnny walked back over to Pony, after stepping on his smoke, and the two walked over to her.

"Hey Violet!" Pony called. She looked over and smiled.

"Hello boys. What are you doing out? Isn't it supper time?" Pony smiled.

"We were heading home, but we thought that we would see if you needed help." Violet smiled, and accepted. The two young greasers did the rest, and Violet took the cart back. The boys started to walk away, but then Violet offered them a ride. They nodded, neither wanting to be walking home in the dark. They all climbed into her truck and started the drive home.

"Where's your daughter?" Pony asked quietly. "Is she with her father?" Violet winced when he asked. Ponyboy noticed.

"I'm sorry…. I didn't know… or mean to say that. Sorry…" Violet looked over at Pony, who was now looking at his hands. She sighed.

"Hailey is at home with my brother, and her father died before she was born." Pony looked up, as did Johnny.

"How?" Johnny asked quietly. _So the kid can talk,_ She thought to herself.

"We were up north in cottage country with a few of his friends, and they were all drunk. Gabe knew I hated it when he drank, and with me being pregnant, he didn't want to get drunk and risk hurting me and our baby. So while we were inside picking names, his brother who was also drunk, fell into the water, and well…. he couldn't swim. Gabe rushed out to save his brother, and his brother ended up drowning him. It was his idea to name our daughter Hailey if it was a girl. I would have named it Gabriel, after the father if it had been a boy." She finished quietly. They rode the rest of the ride in silence, and when they reached Darry's house, she dropped them at the end of the drive way.

Ponyboy ad Johnny thanked her, and walked inside just as Dally and Two-bit were leaving.

"Where were y'all?" Sodapop asked.

"At the library. We ran into Violet and she gave us a ride home. Speaking of which, where is Darry? DARRY!" Darry poked his head in from the kitchen.

"What's up buddy?" Darry asked, while mixing mashed potatoes.

"It's Violet. She doesn't have a boyfriend!" Pony told him excitedly. Darry's eyebrows furrowed together.

"So…?" He asked himself quietly, while checking the chicken in the oven.

"So… that means that you two can get together!" Ponyboy exclaimed, making Darry jumped in surprise.

"Ponyboy…" Darry started, but was cut off when the timer went off saying the chicken was done.

"Dinners ready!"

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><p>Sorry to end it there, I just have to get off the computer. But I hope it's okay.<p>

**ClarkKentsgirl96: **Glad you love it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Togssg16: **I'm glad you think so :P

Thanks to everyone who read this chapter! Please R&R!

~~Do it for Johnny!~~

~~GreaseMonkey014


	3. The Cookie Jar'

**S.E Hinton owns The Outsiders, and GreaserGirlie owns Lexi, just for the record, its a bit shorter than usual**

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><p>Violet woke up with a sudden jerk. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked around. Coming to the realization she woke up because of her nightmare. She took a deep breath and got out of bed. Walking into the kitchen, she made a cup of coffee, and walked to the table. She sat down, and turned to the job section of the newspaper. Violet knew her brother didn't mind them staying, but you can only afford so much. She circled a few jobs she thought she could handle, and sat back, and took a drink of her coffee. Upon hearing her daughter start to make some grumbling noises, she got up and walked into her daughter's room. Violet picked up Hailey and sat down in the rocking chair. She slowly rocked back and forth, just holding her daughter in her arms and glad that she at least had something with her that reminded her of Gabe. Once Hailey was more calmed down, Violet walked out and prepared food for all of them. She sat down, and started to feed Hailey. Her brother walked out and sat down.<p>

"The food is really good Vi." He said. She smiled.

"I was wondering if you knew anywhere that needed another set of hands?" He gave her a look.

"Vi…. Listen. I know that you feel like You're using all of my money but honestly I don't mind. I don't have a family to pay for, and the house is taken care of. Besides, who is going to watch Hailey? You know better than to trust anyone on this side of town with a beautiful baby like her. And to pay a daycare or a soc to take care of her is expensive!"

"Well… I was wondering if maybe I could work in the afternoon… and I could pay you to watch her…? I know it's a lot to ask…" Her brother smiled.

"Yeah sure. But if I you know… want to go out… you'll have to get another sitter." Violet smiled and hugged him tight. She turned her attention back to the paper, before her brother stopped her.

"There's a bakery down on Sutton Street. It's an old couple who own it. Go see them and tell them that you're Jay's sister, alright?" Violet nodded, and went to get ready.

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><p>Darry lay awake thinking about what his youngest brother had told him the night before. <em>Could he really date her again? After what had happened in the past?<em> His alarm went off and hit the top, stopping the annoying buzzing noise he woke upto every morning. He got up and got into the shower, remembering that it was Johnny's seventeenth birthday. Not only for Pony's sake, but for everyone's sake, he was glad that Johnny had survived. Sure… it had put them in an even pourer house, paying the hospital bill and the money it cost for the physical therapy to start walking again, but the kid deserved another chance. He made a mental note to stop by 'The Cookie Jar', a local bakery on Sutton. They made the best sweets in all of Tulsa, and the fact that they're prices that are 'greaser friendly' is even better. He got out of the shower and quickly got dressed, and went out to the kitchen. Darry poured a cup of coffee and started to make breakfast, enough for everyone, when his brothers walked in. Soda was clad in his DX shirt and jeans, and Ponyboy was clad in a regular shirt and jeans.

"Good morning guys" Darry said. Both nodded back at him, and sat down and began to eat their breakfast. Darry sighed, and grabbed his tool belt.

"Can you remind the guys to be here for 7 please? Johnny's party is tonight, but don't tell him." Pony lit up at the sound of that and agreed not to mention anything. Darry threw his belt into the back of his pickup, climbed in, and began to drive to the bakery on Sutton.

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><p>The bell made the usual <em>ding<em>! Noise as Violet entered the small bakery called 'The Cookie Jar'. The elder lady at the counter looked up, and smiled at Violet.

"How may I help you dear?" She asked in a kind voice. Violet smiled.

"My name is Violet, and my brother Jay told me that you might be looking for a new set of hands to help out around here?" The elder lady smiled, and called for her husband to come out. An elderly man, with stubble and white hair quickly walked out of the back.

"This is Jay's sister. She wants to know if we can give her a job" The lady said smiling. The man smiled.

"My name is Brian, and this is my wife MaryAnn. Have you had any experience in a bakery before?" Violet shook her head.

"Just baking at home…" She said. Brian laughed, and nodded.

"It isn't much different my dear. We would like to have you work for us. I need you to fill out a few forms first, and discuss your paycheck and hours. When would you like to start, my dear?"

"As soon as possible."

"Lets go discuss your hours, shall we?" Violet nodded, and followed Brian into the office. After discussing for a few minutes, they decided she would work from seven to four, and would have one hour for lunch. She would be paid $3.50 every hour, and would start today. She walked back out to the front, and MaryAnn began to show her where everything was. After 20 minutes, she knew where everything she would ever need is. MaryAnn set to making some cookies, and Violet was able to choose a recipe to make. She decided she would make 'Butter Tarts', and began to make the crust. Once she set it in the oven, the bell rang, singaling someone was here. She looked at MaryAnn, and she nodded towards the door. MaryAnn smiled, and nodded. Violet walked out to the front counter, to see Darry standing there. She smiled,

"How may I help you?" Darry turned around and smiled at her.

"Could I get a large Devil's Food cake with blue frosting please?"

"Alright," Violet said as she wrote down the order, "Any writing?"

"Oh, yes please. Could I get…. 'Happy 17th birthday Johnnycake, Love…" Darry stopped.

"Love…?"

"Love your family please." Violet nodded, and told him it would be ready by two. Darry smiled, and left.

Darry took off his tool belt, and as usual threw it into the back of his truck. He grabbed his shirt and put it back on. Climbing in his truck, he drove to the bakery and entered. He saw Violet quickly walk out and noticed she had flour all over her face. He smiled, and got out his wallet.

"The total cost is $5.00" He pulled out a bill and paid. She went to the back quickly and returned with a box wrapped in blue wrapping paper with a dark blue bow. He smiled, and took the box.

"Thanks." She smiled and began to walk to the sink that was across the store, still behind the counter. She washed off the flower and took off her apron. When she was ready to go, she noticed that Darry was still standing there. She smiled.

"Yes?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't notice your truck out front, and I was wondering if you wanted a ride?" She smiled, but declined. Darry kept trying to convince her to let him give her a ride, eventually she agreed, only so he would stop bothering her. She said goodbye to MaryAnn and Brian, and followed Darry out to his truck. She climbed into the passenger side while Darry placed the cake in the middle. When Darry climbed in and started the truck, it was quiet for a few moments.

"How is Hailey doing?" Darry asked her quietly.

"Good. She's starting to become a bit vocal with gurgling and noises like that, but other than that she's a happy baby. How about you? How are you and your brothers doing?"

"We are good, Pony got his report card yesterday, and everything was an A, and English was an A plus." Violet smiled,

"Just like his older brother" Darry smiled, and the rest of the ride was silent. He was going to drop her at her house, but she insisted that he drop her off at his house, hers was only three doors down. He finally agreed, and just as they pulled up, Pony and Johnny walked up to the house.

"Happy birthday Johnny," She told him with a smile on her face. He blushed and muttered a thank-you, and followed Pony to the porch.

Darry watched Violet walk home, and realized the two weren't very different at the moment. Both had suffered from loss, and both were faced with the responsiblilty of family members. Yet, both of them wouldn't want it any other way. He smiled, and walked into the house leaving Pony and Johnny on the porch. He looked around and saw the whole place was decorated, and when he looked out back, he saw most of the gang out there, and Soda cooking on the grill. Darry sighed, knowing it would be blue hamburgers. He put the cake down and sat beside Dally. When the burgers were done, they sent Dally to go and get Johnny and Pony. The three walked to the backyard and when Johnny followed Pony and Dally out, everyone screamed 'Happy Birthday'. He smiled, and everyone began to eat the burgers, which were surprisingly normal.

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><p><strong>So, I bet everyone thought cause it was march break that everyone would update right? aha, I did too :P Well, there you have it! <strong>


	4. The Truth Is Revealed

When Violet got home that evening, she quickly unlocked the front door and walked in, finding the house was quiet. From habit, she quickly walked to Hailey's room and found the crib empty. She checked her room and her brother's room, both coming up short. Violet began to panic; upon seeing it was 5:30, she began to make dinner, hoping to take her mind off of things. All the while she kept telling herself '_They're okay, they're okay_'. While putting sauce into pan, her mind went into overdrive and starting thinking of all the things that could have happened to her daughter and her brother. Violet put the dinner into the oven just as the lock on the front door clicked. Waiting in the kitchen in case it was an unwanted visitor, Violet was tense. When her brother walked in carrying Hailey, Violet almost cried in relief. Jay noticed his sister getting teary eyed.

"Vi what's wrong? Did someone hurt you? I swear I'll hurt em!" He exclaimed quickly and Violet shook her head.

"No! I came home… and you guys weren't here. I was scared and worried that something might have happened to you two!" She took a shaky breath. "I thought they came back…" Jay handed her Hailey, and then wrapped his arms around her. When Hailey started to grumbled, Violet pulled away and pulled out the baby food. Jay walked into the living room and turned on the TV.

"By the way Vi, the guys are coming over tonight. They can't wait to see little flower again" Jay yelled at her from his spot in the living room. Violet started cooing to Hailey, and while she made her food. Hailey smiled at Violet, and pawed her face. Violet laughed and kissed her baby on the head. The timer beeped on the oven and Violet placed Hailey on the floor on a blanket and took out the dish. Jay walked in and saw that Violet had made a ravioli bake. He smiled; one of his favorites. Jay grabbed a knife and cut the dinner and placed two pieces on his plate, and a piece on a plate for his sister. Violet picked up Hailey and grabbed two beers out of the fridge and set both on the table. Jay brought plates and forks, and the sat and began to eat; Hailey sitting contently in Violets lap.

"So how did the interview go?" Jay asked his sister. She smiled,

"I got it! It was weird though… what have you done to them in the past Jay?" Jay smiled and shook his head. Violet rolled her eyes and picked up her beer and took a drink. She wasn't planning to get drunk, as she only does on occasion. Hailey started playing with Violet food, getting sauce all over her hands. The siblings laughed when Hailey then proceeded to wipe her face with the sauce still on her hands. Jay ran to his room quickly and came back out with a camera in his hand. He snapped a picture of Hailey, and put the camera on the kitchen table. Violet put Hailey into Jay's arms and went to get a washcloth. Hailey buried her head into Jay's neck, resulting in him getting sauce all over his neck. Violet walked back in, and began to laugh at her brother. She wiped both of them off, and took Hailey into the bathroom to give her a bath. She closed the bathroom door and turned the tap to warm. She undressed Hailey, and quickly undressed herself and climbed into the bath with her daughter.

20 minutes later the door burst open, and there stood Cameron, one of the boys from her brother's gang. Violet shrieked and pulled the shower curtain covering her up.

"What the hell are you doing Cam?" She asked furiously. She heard him laugh,

"Wow Vi! You haven't changed one bit! Still got nice firm breasts I see huh?" If she could slap him, she would have.

"You still got that tiny ass dick?" She spat back at him.

"Ouch. Now come on Vivi, don't be like that. You know I'm just joking with you babe."

"Whatever. Get the fuck out." Cameron laughed again and once she heard the door shut, she looked out from behind the curtain, and saw he was gone. She drained the tub, got out of the shower, and noticed that Cameron brought her in clothes. She smiled, and changed into them she wrapped Hailey in a blanket from the closet and walked towards the enormous amount of noise coming from the living room. When she walked in, she saw familiar faces; Cameron, Peyton, Kessler, Blue, Damien, Jace, and Brent. She smiled, and Kessler was the first to notice her. He jumped up and walked over to her, and gave her a light but meaning full hug. Many did the same, and as she predicted, they wanted to know all about her life in California. And she told them everything; even about Gabe. As she predicted, Kessler was the one that cared the most. She hoped desperately that things could return to the way they were before she left. When she left to put Hailey into her crib, she heard a set of feet walk in behind her and shut the door.

Slowly the feet approached behind her, and a set of hands wrapped themselves around her waist. She leaned back into them embrace, and smelt the familiar sent that was all Kessler.

"I missed you" She said quietly. He hushed her, and buried his head in her hair. For a few moments, no one moved, and then Violet turned around in his arms, and looked in his kind and caring green eyes. She leaned in a bit and so did he.

"Vi… I don't want to rush you" He whispered. She closed the distance between them and kissed him. Her hands found their way into his hair, and his tightened around her waist.

"Kessler… We should stop…" He pulled away.

"Vi I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me…" Violet smiled and kissed his lips.

"Don't worry Kes."

"Violet... where do we stand? I need to know if we are going to pick up where we left off... or if I should move on. I love you Violet… I really do but I can't wait forever. I'm willing to take you and Hailey... If you'll have me." Violet nodded, and kissed him.

"I would like to give it another shot Kessler." He smiled, and followed her into her bedroom. She lied on her bed, and he lied beside her, and the two proceeded to catch up with each other.

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><p>"Should I call her?" Ponyboy asked for the third time that night.<p>

"WE DON'T CARE!" Dallas, Steve, and Two-bit screamed at once. He glared at them and turned back to Soda, Darry, and Johnny. Johnny shrugged his shoulders, and Soda simply replied

"I'm not a girl." Pony sat in the silence for a few moments, and then his face lit up.

"Here we go," Steve complained.

"Darry I'm going to go ask Violet! Why don't you come?" Darry agreed, and put on his shoes. Pony almost ran the three houses, excited to see Violet again. Darry was anxious, wondering if he should risk asking her out, or continue to stay in the side lines. He followed Pony up to the front porch, and stood behind his little brother as he knocked on her front door. Violet's brother answered the door.

"Darrel! Ponyboy nice to see you two again." Pony smiled as did Darry.

"How have you been Jay?" Pony asked him, and Jay replied with the usual 'good' and they talked for a few moments, Darry joining in.

"So what brings y'all over?" Jay asked.

"I needed to ask Violet a question about a girl," Pony told him, and Jay looked at Darry

"How about you Superman?"

"I just walked him over."

"Really?" Darry nodded "We're only three houses away." Darry nodded, and claimed he was leaving, and would be back to pick Pony up later. Ponyboy shrugged and followed Jay into the house and started talking to the older greaser.

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><p>Hailey started to cry, and Kessler went into the room next door and picked her up and brought her back to Violet. Violet sat up, and took Hailey, and softly rocked her back and forth. Once Hailey calmed down, Violet rested her head on Kessler's shoulder. Then she was hit with flashbacks,<p>

_FLASHBACK_

"_Kessler, I-I shouldn't be doing this. I love Gabe…" Violet said breathlessly. Kessler continued to kiss her neck. _

"_Violet I know what he does to you! I know he abuses you!" Violet felt her breath catch, and herself flush._

"_H-How do you know Kess?" She asked him. He stopped kissing her and met her fearful eyes. _

"_Vi, why do you think I came to Cali? I knew something was up when he started to get too protective over you._" _He gently raised her shirt to reveal dark bruises on her chest and rib cage. His eyes narrowed angrily, and he took her shirt completely off. There were more bruises on her upper chest, and Kessler almost growled. She leaned up and kissed him again, and this time, neither held back._

_When they finished, Kessler pulled her close. _

"_I love you Vi. You deserve more than him… you really do. He has done nothing in his sorry pathetic life to deserve you." She started to cry, and held onto Kessler tight. _

"_Kess I love you too. I always have… I-I want it to stop… I wanted to come home… But he wouldn't let me! He wouldn't let me go" She sobbed quietly in his arms, and he held her tight._

"_Vi I promise it'll stop soon…"_

_END_

Well he was right in a sense, Violet thought to herself. It did end… only Gabe died. No one but Kessler and her brother knew what went on behind closed doors. Violet looked down again at Hailey, and for the first time, noticed Hailey's soft green eyes, and her nose…. They looked familiar. She looked up to Kessler in alarm.

"What?" Kessler asked her as her head whipped up to look at him.

"When we… When we slept together when I was with Gabe… Did you… Did you use a condom?" Violet asked him, her voice shaking. Kessler went pale.

"Oh god Vi… I'm so sorry…."

"You know… She looks just like you," Violet said quietly. Kessler looked down at Hailey, and saw a pair of eyes that looked identical to his staring back up at him. He smiled, and picked her up.

"Hello baby" He said quietly, and stared at her, as he held his daughter for the first time.

"We should get a paternity test just to be sure." Violet told him quietly. Kessler nodded, and kissed Hailey on her forehead. He went to put Hailey back in her room, and when he came back, he noticed Violet wasn't there. He walked into the living room to see her talking to Ponyboy. He went into the kitchen and saw Jay doing dishes. He stood there, and thought about everything quietly. _Am I ready to raise a baby? A baby that was more or less… a mistake? NO! Don't think that…._ He told himself quietly.

"So I think congratulations are in order huh?" Jay said quietly. Kessler nodded, and continued to think.

2 hours later Darry left his house, and walked down the street to Violets house. When he got there, he saw something that made him sick to his stomach. Violet was on the front porch, making out with a guy. He ignored them, and walked into the house. He called Pony and left quickly. Pony had to almost run to catch up with Darry, and when he did he could tell his brother was hurt. But, when Ponyboy looked closer, he saw that his brother was crying. Walking in front of Darry, he finally convinced his oldest brother to tell him what was wrong. He confessed his feelings for Violet and Pony understood. He slowly-and awkwardly- put his arms around Darry and gave him a hug. For the first time in a long time, Darry cried. Not just tears, but he 'let it all out' and he was glad that he had someone to lean on for once.

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><p><strong>S. E. Hinton owns Cannon, I own Hailey, Violet, Jay, Kessler... and well anyone you dont recognize :P <strong>

**What did you guys think? I hope ya like it :P Please leave a review!**

**Greasergirlie; **I bet you didn't expect that huh? LOL thanks so much for the review!

**-do you think there is a chance that Violet and Darry will still end up together?**

**-what do you think is going to happen in the future?**

**-anything else you'd like to see?**


	5. I dont know what to do

**Okay… So I know its been a while… And I really wouldn't be writing this… but I got the chance :P Today was amazing! I found that my sport that I think is sooo hot is Lacrosse :) Damn... Those boys are good looking ;) Anyways, I only own the OC's :)**

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><p>When Darry pulled away from Pony, he looked a bit better. His eyes were still red and puffy, so Pony just smiled and stood beside him. Darry took a few deep breaths, and then started to walk towards the house. Ponyboy followed silently and decided that he would call Lexi after all. Once they got home, he could tell that the gang was still there from the noise coming from the house. Darry walked in and without saying anything, he went to his room. Soda looked up from his poker game and gave a sad look towards the closed door.<p>

"What happened to Darry Ponyboy?" He asked. Pony smiled back at his brother.

"He's just tired. He had a rough day at work. The boss was yelling at him." Soda nodded, and Ponyboy picked up the phone and walked to his room. He shut the door, and sat on the bed, pulling the piece of paper out from his pocket. He took a deep breath and called her house.

"Hello?" A girl's voice answered.

"Hi… Um.. This is Ponyboy… Is Lexi home?" Pony asked a bit nervous. He heard a giggle on the other end of the line.

"Hello Ponyboy, and yes, you're talking to her" Lexi's voice answered back confidently. Pony blushed, and struggled for the next thing to say.

"How… How are you?" He stuttered.

"I'm good. I'm swamped with math homework though. How are you?"

"I'm good." He told her. The line was quiet, and then he heard her get nervous.

"You know… I was starting to think you weren't going to call… I thought that maybe you were like other guys that never call when they say they will…." She finished quietly.

"Uhm yeah… You see I was really nervous about calling you. That's why I waited so long to call…" He heard her give a small laugh.

"There isn't really anything to be nervous about Ponyboy." She told him.

"Okay," And the line was silent for a few moments. "Do you… You know… Want to hang out sometime?"

"Hangout like… On a date?" Lexi asked him.

"Yeah. What are you doing tomorrow?" He asked her, gaining some confidence.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" She told him quickly. He smiled at her eagerness.

"Okay. I'll pick you up at 3 tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Alright. Well, I have to go Lexi, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight Ponyboy." And she hung up. Pony smiled to himself and decided to get some sleep, so he put the pone on his desk, and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over his head.

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><p>Violet lay awake that night, with only one thing on her mind: Darry. Did he like her still? Was that why he was always around her? Or were they just running into each other on accident? Still, she couldn't shake the feeling she got when she was around him. She felt like she did back when they were teenagers… But how to tell Kessler? Should she tell him? Violet sighed and climbed out of bed, and walked to her daughters room. She was glad to see that Hailey was asleep, cuddling with a stuffed toy that used to be Violet's when she was a little girl. She walked out and saw her brother awake and watching TV. He looked up upon his sisters entrance.<p>

"Hey ViVi, what are you doing up so early?" He said, opening his arms. She smiled and sat beside her brother and leaned into his chest.

"I… I don't know. I feel like… Like… I have old feelings for Darry…" I told him. He looked shocked; he was clearly not expecting that.

"What do you mean? Like actual feels for him? Like strong ones?" Violet nodded.

"But I don't know what to do! I feel like everything is falling into place with Kessler… And I want it too… But at the same time… I still like Darry. I don't know what to do… In a way I want what's best for Hailey but…" She stopped herself.

"Maybe you should just listen to your heart hun. And don't worry about Hailey, I'm sure either boy will love her like their own." Violet nodded. She looked up at the time and saw a silhouette standing in the doorway. _Oh no…_

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><p>Darry woke up the next morning, and was glad that he had to go into work late. He decided that he would get the groceries done today, and with the extra money he could give it to Ponyboy to spend on the weekend. He got up and got into the shower- first as usual. Then he made breakfast and sat down to drink his coffee. Once he sat down, and started to enjoy the silence, he heard footsteps coming from the hall and outside. He sighed at the screen door was opened and four of their friends walked in, and his brothers rounded the corner. They grabbed plates and their food, all while talking loudly over each other.<p>

"Hey Darry… Could I have um… a few extra dollars for lunch?" Pony asked shyly. He was always shy about asking for money. Darry smiled, got up and walked over to his wallet. He pulled out five dollars. He handed it to Pony, and Pony smiled.

"Thanks." He said reaching for it. Then Darry jerked it back, smiling.

"You gonna tell me what for?" Pony blushed.

"I met a girl the other day… and she gave me her number, so I called her last night… and asked her that since it was Friday… If I could take her on a date. She said yes… So I'm taking her to the movies afterschool." He finished quietly. Darry's smile grew as he handed him the money.

"Hey Soda!" darry exclaimed. Pony grumbled and quietly mumbled an 'oh no'.

"What?" Soda asked back, as excited as usual.

"Our Little man is growing up!" Darry said with fake sadness. Soda ran in the kitchen.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up there! What do you mean he's growing up?"

"He's taking a chick on a date!" Soda started to laugh as he punched Pony in the shoulder. Darry looked at the clock and noticed it was later than he thought.

"Y'all want a ride to work and school?" He asked grabbing his keys.

"Why Superdope?" Steve asked, earning a slap upside the head "Aint you off this morning?"

"I'm going grocery shopping." He told them. Everyone gathered their things and climbed into the back of Darry's truck. As Darry pulled out of the drive way, they heard screaming. He drove by Violet's house and saw her standing on the porch with the guy she was kissing last night.

"One night stand gone wrong?" Dally asked laughing. Darry shook his head, and continued to watch the two argue.

"You're such a whore you know that?" He yelled at her. Violets face went red.

"You're a fucking jackass!" He shook his head, and began to walk down the porch steps.

"Where the hell are you going?" She screamed at him, and he whipped around and walked over to her so that he was in her face.

"Once you figure out if you have feelings for _Darrel_, you can call me. I'm not hanging around if you don't even like me." He walked down the stairs and got into his car. Violet had tears streaming down her face, and she walked inside. Darry on the other hand, drove away, in more of a daze now more than ever.

_She still has feelings for me?_


	6. Parental Test

Hope everyone enjoys! I'd like to thank MONKEYGURL7O7 for the extrodinharry help she's been :P She gave me the BEST idea ever for the climax!

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><p>Violet cleaned up, and checked on her daughter. She ignored her brother and left for work. She knew that her brother loved Hailey and would watch her today. She had let her boss know yesterday that she needed to leave early to bring Hailey to the doctor to get the parental test done. She knew just as well as Kessler that Hailey was his. Gabe and his whole family had dark hair as well as brown eyes. Hailey even looked like Kessler. But she wanted to be sure. She couldn't believe that as quick as things started to fall into place, they fell out of place. She shook her head and started her truck. She was also aware that Darry had been listening to the conversation as he drove by; meaning that he knew that she had feelings for him. She drove to work, and parked out back of the bakery shop. She walked around front, and greeted her bosses, and went to get started on the daily goodies such as cupcakes and butter tarts. She was just putting on her apron when the front door opened. She ignored it, letting Maryann handle it. She heard faint talking, and then it got quiet. Violet was pulling out the icing sugar and milk when she heard Maryann come in.<p>

"There is a man out front, he wants to talk with you." She said smiling kindly.

"I really shouldn't… I need to get my work done," Violet told her. Maryann shook her head.

"No no, it's alright dear. Believe me, you've been a tremendous help to us, take a quick break. This man seems desperate" She said winking. She laughed and walked out front to see Darry standing there. She smiled weakly at him.

"What can I get you? The cupcakes and butter tarts are being made as we speak, but the cakes will take a few hours." She said, trying to avoid what he was here for.

"Violet… Is it true? What Kessler said earlier… Is it true?" Violet sighed and nodded. Darry continued. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know if you felt that same way. After I broke up with you I knew it was a bad choice, but I couldn't bring myself to fix it. I felt like such a bitch, that I thought it was best if I moved on. So I did. But there was always a part of me that wanted you. Then when I became pregnant with Kessler's kid… I knew any chance of us getting together was ruined. I didn't tell you everytime I saw you because Hailey and I are a package… You can't have me and not her. I didn't want to seem like I was dumping this all on you, and I was hoping that when I came back, this wouldn't happen. But then everything once again had to get mixed around and my feelings for you were stirred up once again, only this time I couldn't shake the feeling I got when I was with you." Darry looked at her, and put his hand over hers.

"Then what happened with Kessler?"

"I told my brother about my feelings with you, trying to get some advice. Turns out Kessler heard the whole thing and was upset that I was feeling things for you. He over reacted this morning is all." Darry nodded.

"So… Where does this put us?" Darry asked.

"Honestly… I have no clue. I'm taking Hailey to get a parental test this afternoon to see if she really is Kessler's kid. But… my brother gave me some really good advice, and I think I'll follow it."

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me to follow my heart. Listen to my gut for once, because either guy will love me unconditionally and will provide and care for both me and Hailey." Darry smiled.

"I would. I do. I always have Violet." She nodded, and heard a timer go off in the back.

"Darry I have to go" She told him sullenly.

"When's your lunch?" He asked quickly.

"I'm not taking one today, but why don't you bring your gang over work and I'll make everyone dinner?" Darry smiled.

"That would be great," Darry told her, and smiled as she walked into the back.

_Way to go superman, way to go._

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><p>It was 2 o'clock at Will Rogers High school, and the final bell rang. Pony packed his stuff up nervously, and headed home quickly to change into some nicer clothes. He finished putting grease in his hair and saw it was quarter to three. He quickly grabbed the money from Darry and rushed out the door, walking to Lexi's house. He knocked on the door, and it was quickly opened by Lexi. Ponyboy blinked a few times to try and refocus. He could stop staring at her. She was wearing a baby blue skirt with a white blouse, and her hair was down and curled. She had a little more makeup on than usual, but it still looked amazing. Everything about her looked amazing.<p>

"Hi…" Ponyboy said shyly. She smiled and shut her door behind her. She gave him a hug, and he realized she smelt like strawberries. He hugged her back, and laced his fingers with her, and started to walk hand in hand with her to the movie house. He was still a bit shy, but when a car full of soc's drove by, throwing insults at him, and perverted things at Lexi, he lost his shyness.

"Hey why don't you just fuck off?" Pony yelled back, glaring at them. The car stopped, and the soc's got out. Ponyboy shoved Lexi behind him, and the leader of the soc's group approached them. Ponyboy put on his 'cold face'.

"The fuck did you say to me greaser?"

"I think you heard me!" Pony shouted back at him, flicking out a switch blade. The soc's knew he wasn't kidding around, and went back to their car. Ponyboy took a few deep breaths and turned around to face Lexi.

"You're… You're the one that… that had the friend who killed a soc… aren't you?" She asked quietly. He nodded, looking away. There was no way that she'd like him anymore. Lexi noticed that Ponyboy was now acting sad and disappointed, so she walked closer to him, and made him look at her. When they made eye contact, she held his gaze and then leaned in slowly. He did the same, and when their lips met, both knew this is what it felt like when everyone said 'fireworks'. Ponyboy put an arm around her waist, and Lexi put her arms around his shoulders, neither of them letting it get too far. The couple pulled away when they needed to breathe. Lexi was the first to talk.

"That… That felt amazing." She said smiling. Ponyboy nodded and hugged her.

"I don't know about you but I felt fireworks" Lexi nodded.

"That was my first kiss Ponyboy…" She told him.

"Mine too" They linked hands, and started walking to the movie theatre.

* * *

><p>Violet walked into the doctor's office holding Hailey. She went and signed her in, and sat back down, holding her sleeping daughter close. Twenty minutes later the door opened again and Kessler walked in. He saw Violet, and sat down across from her. Violet avoided his eyes. The doctor called Hailey`s name, and both parents got up. Violet walked in first and Kessler followed.<p>

"Good afternoon Violet, Kessler" Both nodded at him.

"All I'm going to do is take seom blood from Hailey, and then some blood from you Kessler. We'll send it to the lab and get back to you within a few days." Violet nodded, and turned the sleeping Hailey around to face the doctor.

"I'm just going to take it from her finger alright?" Violet nodded, and held her daughter, ready for the fit that was about to come. She held her daughters hand so that when she awoke, the doctor could take the blood without having to fit for it. The doctor poked her finger with a needle, and waiting for some blood to come out. Hailey by then had woken up and started to scream. While the doctor got some in a small container, Violet tried to shush Hailey.

"You may go now if you wish Violet"

"Okay. Thank you Doctor." He nodded as Kessler rolled up his sleeve. Violet left and quickly walked out to her truck, frantically searching in Hailey's bag for her pacifier. Once she found it, she put it in Hailey's mouth and Hailey stopped crying, only having hiccups.

Smiling in victory, she put her daughter beside her when she climbed in the truck and drove home. Deciding on making spaghetti, she set to work, while Hailey played on the floor. The doorbell rang, and Hailey made a noise, pointing towards the door.

"You wanna come see who it is?" Hailey smiled at her mother's question and Violet picked her up. Opening the door, she saw it was Darry and his gang. She smiled at them,

"Come on in!" Following her into the house, Soda and Steve hung back afraid of her gun.

"What are ya two shitheads doin?" Dallas asked them. They looked at one another and walked in cautiously, and saw Johnny playing with Violets daughter, and Violet and Darry in the kitchen. The baby noticed Soda and Steve, and put her arms up. Soda picked him up, smiling at her. By the time dinner was ready, both Soda and Hailey were tired out.


	7. Gang or no gang

Four weeks later the results were in. Violet sat at the kitchen table staring at the envelope. She didn't know if she wanted to find out the results or not. In her heart, she had a strong feeling that Hailey was Kessler's, but Gabe and Kessler were similar in resemblance. But what Violet also knew was that she didn't just like Darry anymore. While Kessler hadn't shown his face around Violet's house, Darry had. He had taken her out to dinner and eventually asked her to be his girl- for the second time. Violet had said yes. She sighed and looked at the clock. Eventually Darry would be coming over for another movie night. Because both were struggling with money they never did anything fancy, just spent time with one another and Hailey. In the time Darry had been spending with her, Hailey started to love Darry like a father. Violet debated calling Darry for some support, but she discarded that thought.

Violet took a deep breath and picked up the envelope. She opened the flap carefully, and pulled out the form. She read it quietly, and tears ran down her face. Kessler was Hailey's father. She wiped her tears and put the paper on the counter. She walked into Hailey's room and saw that she was awake, but watching her mother carefully. She picked up her daughter, and sat in a rocking chair. Hailey was six months now, and already starting to mature. She rolled over yesterday at Darry's house, and was starting to have 'conversations' with Violet and the guys. She would gurgle, squeal, or babble and wait for you to respond to her. Soda always had the longest conversations with her. She knew he wold make a great dad one day. Darry was protective over Hailey, always making sure she was safe, checking on her every few minutes. It came as a surprise to the couple we she rolled.

There was a knock at the door, and Violet walked to the door, holding Hailey. She opened the door and saw Darry standing there with a dozen roses. She smiled and let him inside. He gave her a quick kiss, then handed her the flowers.

"For milady," He said, laughing. She smiled and handed him Hailey. She pointed at Darry and babbled, while Violet put the roses in a vase. When she came back she saw that Hailey was sucking on Darry's finger, smiling. She laughed, and gave Darry a kiss.

"How was your day so far Dar?" He smiled,

"It's alright, but it's a lot better now" She laughed.

"You're so corny Darry." He kissed her.

"I'm serious Vi. Johnny's folks beat up on him again, Pony got in a fight at school yesterday and the bills are late… Again," Violet sat down on the couch and Darry bent down and put Hailey on the floor. He sat beside Violet and put an arm around her. He looked down at her, "How was your day?"

"I.. I don't know, I guess it's better now, but the results came in today." Darry pulled her closer to him, and waited for her to continue. "And… It said that Hailey is Kessler's." Violet took a few deep breaths and calmed herself before she broke down again. Darry pulled her onto his lap and kissed her head.

"And… you feel about that baby?"

"I-I don't know. Good in a way because Hailey's dad is s-still alive… B-But in a way I wish she was Gabe's because what happened between me and Kessler was a mistake… And I really didn't want Hailey to be the result of a one night stand. Even though Gabe and I had some… rough spots, we still loved each other. I have never loved Kessler like I love you, or like I loved Gabe." Darry hugged her, but smiled. When Violet pulled away, she noticed a faint smile on Darry's features.

"Why are you smiling?" She asked him, trying to hide a smile of her own.

"You said you loved me," He told her.

"Oh really? When did I say that?"

"Just now, you said 'I have never loved Kessler like I love you'" Violet smiled. She kissed Darry, and he deepened it, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. She moaned in his mouth and her fingers found themselves in his arm.

The door slammed open, and Darry and Violet jumped apart to see Jay standing there grinning from ear to ear.

"You two look like two teenagers that were caught making out," he said, starting to laugh. Hailey squealed and started to giggle, pointing at Violet and Darry while looking at Jay. Jay picked his niece up, and twirled around with her.

"I'm going to head over to the park with her, and we'll be back around supper time. You two have fun," he said winking, and walking out. Violet smiled at the ground, and Darry pulled her close again. They started kissing again, and once again Darry made the kiss become more intimate.

There was a knock on the door and Darry groaned in frustration. She smiled at him, and she went to see who it was. She looked out the peep hole smiling, but upon seeing who it was, her smiled faded, and she took a few steps back, almost loosing her balance. Darry caught her, and whispered to her. She nodded, and he picked her up, and carried her to her to her room.

"Stay here alright? I'll get the door." She nodded. Darry walked out to the front door and opened it. Kessler was standing there, looking out towards the street with his back to Darry. Kessler looked over his shoulder, and saw the door was open. He slowly turned around and saw Darry.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked Darry.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Darry replied smoothly.

"I'm here to see Violet, and my _daughter_." He told Darry with venom in his voice as he said 'daughter'.

"They're not available." Darry told him, secretly sizing him up. '_I could easily take this punk'_

"Well that's a fucking lie. Why the hell are you here alone then?" He pushed past Darry and walked into the house. He walked right into Violet room and saw her sitting on the bed.

"You stupid bitch!" He yelled at her, "Why the hell didn't you tell me that Hailey was my fucking child?"

"Kessler calm down! I just found out today too!"

"That's bullshit Violet! How the fuck could you have only found out today? You and I both knew way before the test was even run that Hailey was mine!" Violet looked away, crying again.

"Man why don't you just back off?" Darry told him.

"Fuck you! Who the hell do you think you are?" That pissed Darry off more than anything. He got right up in Kessler's face, almost towering over him.

"I'm her boyfriend, that's who. Now if you got a problem with Violet than you got a problem with me!" Kessler looked shocked for only a few moments, before he looked furious. He pulled his arm back and punched Darry in the face, and Violet screamed. Darry fell back a few feet, then wiped the blood from his nose. Darry looked at his hand, then back at Kessler, his blue eyes hard, and cold. He punched Kessler back, and Kessler fell over. He looked up, and instead of going for Darry, he went for Violet. He punched her in the stomach and she started to gasp for breath. Darry put Kessler in a headlock, and dragged him to the front door. By the time that Darry threw Kessler out the front door, Kessler was blue in the face.

"This isn't over _Darrel_." Kessler spat. Darry just shook his head, and shut the door and locked it, quickly running back into Violets room. She was leaning against the wall, clutching her stomach breathing slowly and deeply. Darry climbed on the bed beside her, and pulled her into his lap. She hugged him back, and the two sat in silence for a few moments.

"Are you alright baby?" Darry asked Violet. She nodded,

"I've been hit worse Darry. Don't worry I'm fine. Now what about you? Your nose looks broken…" She reached up, and lightly touched his face, and the area around his nose. He hissed, and she smiled faintly.

"Sorry… Here," She said taking his hand and leading him to the washroom. She pulled out a washcloth and started to dab at the blood on his face. He leaned against the counter, and once she was done cleaning his nose, he turned to inspect the damage.

"It's not broken," He said, touching it lightly, "Just a nose bleed. It should be fine." She nodded. Both walked back into the hallway, Violet stopping and checking out the window, making sure Kessler was gone. She sighed and sat back down.

"I'll have to let my brother know what he did. I mean I know that they're a gang, but I know for a fact that they would hurt Kessler if they heard what he did to you. What he did was out of line, gang or no gang." Darry nodded, and pulled her back onto his lap.

"I know you only live three houses away, but I would feel much safer if we stayed together at night…" Violet smiled and kissed him.

"Is Darrel Curtis… Asking me to move in with him?" Darry smiled, and looked away.

"I guess… yeah I am." Violet smiled, and kissed him again.

"Sorry Darry, but I think it's too soon. We've only been dating for… three weeks. I know that we're really just picking up where we left off, but I'm not ready for 'moving in' yet." Darry nodded, trying to hide his disappointment and embarrassment.

"But… We could still have sleep overs," She said, and Darry smiled, kissing her again.

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><p><strong>Hope everyone enjoyed! Thanks to GreaserGirlie for reviewing! It means a lot :P<strong>

**Stay Gold!**

**GreaseMonkey014**


	8. Bucket Fulls

When Jay was at the park that evening, it was quiet as usual; the only sort of activity was a group of greasers smoking in the corner of the park. He put Hailey in the swing and started to slowly push her, keeping an eye on the greasers; smoking what didn't smell like cigarettes. He heard them starting to talk louder, and one look over at him. It seemed as if they would walk over, until his eyes went wide as if he noticed something else. Hailey made a noise, and Jay looked to see Tim Sheppard standing there, pushing Hailey's swing from behind.

"Hey man," Jay said, and Tim nodded his head.

"How's it goin'?" He asked, and Jay nodded.

"Alright I s'pose, just got a couple of high horsed hippies over there." Tim looked over and chuckled,

"Curly started trying some of that shit. Got thrown away again cause of it. Little brat will never learn." Jay laughed.

"So what brings ya into this neighbourhood Tim?"

"Came to tell ya bout one of your boys Jay," Jay nodded, and waited for him to continue. "The one that used to have the feelings for Vi. Or still does, I don't know. Heard him at Buck's party last night saying how he found out Hailey was his kid. Started sayin' some shit about how your sister was a dirty whore and what not. Got to the point he started about doing some pretty drastic things to her and Hailey." Jay nodded,

"Thanks Tim."

"Not a problem. I still owe ya for what you did for Angel" Jay shook his head,

"Naw, its okay man." Tim nodded, and the two hoods stood in silence for a bit.

"Well I should be going now Tim thanks for the heads up." Tim nodded, and Jay walked away holding Hailey. When he got home, he could tell the house was quieter than usual. He started to prepare Hailey's supper, then he heard a noise from Violets bedroom. He looked up to see Darry standing there, his nose still swollen.

"What happened to you?" Jay asked him.

"We had a visit from an unsuspected guest," Darry said, making Jay stop what he was doing, and looked at the male. "He came in, and got angry at Violet, punching her in her stomach and blaming her, and yelling at her something awful." Jay sighed and shook his head.

"How is she?" He asked, nodded towards Violets room.

"She's alright now. She ordered pizza twenty minutes ago." Jay nodded. Darry said his goodbye and walked out. Jay looked at the door in disbelief. _Why was Darry being so straight forward? It's almost like he didn't care… _Jay thought to himself. He shook his head, and started feeding Hailey. Violet came out a few minutes later, and smiled when she saw her daughter. Jay handed Hailey to Violet and looked at her for a few minutes.

"What happened Vi?" She was quiet for a few moments.

"Kessler came… He was angry for some reason. He started to get furious that I didn't tell him Hailey was his. Truthfully I didn't know until this morning, but he kept saying it was my fault because we both knew Hailey was his. He became angrier when Darry stood up for me and said he was my boyfriend. I guess he lost control and punched Darry, who punched Kessler back. Then Kessler punched me and Darry lost control and put him in a headlock; throwing him outside." She told him, while avoiding his eyes. Jay shook his head.

"Vi, you know what he did was unacceptable. I'll be _speaking_ to him later alright?" Jay told her, hugging her.

"Just do me a favor, Blue Jay?" He nodded for her to continue, "Don't hurt him too badly?" Jay laughed and walked out.

* * *

><p>Lexi ran with Pony as if their lives depended on it. In a way it did, but in the end, the worst would be that Ponyboy and Lexi would be soaked to the bone. They stopped under an old willow tree in the lot and leant against it trying to catch their breath.<p>

"Lex… I hope you don't mind me saying so… Or bringing it up, but what is your family like?" Lexi smiled and kissed his cheek.

"No, Ponyboy, I don't mind. You already know that my family is greaser, what else do you want to know?"

"What is your mom like? Where's your dad?" He asked carefully, trying to prevent having upset her.

"My mom loves me and my brother like crazy. She works a lot though because she is the only one to provide for us. Tyler helps her out, but my mother insisted if he must help only half of his paycheck. But it's thanks to Tyler that we have dinner most nights. My father left when I was little, Tyler told me one time that he was cheating on mom, but mom told me that he was scared of raising two kids. I'm not sure which one is true, or wither they are both true. But I met him a few years ago… And boy am I glad he ain't my father." She finished quietly. Ponyboy moved closer to her, and held her tight.

"What about you? What… happened to your parents?"

"They died in a car accident a few years ago. So Darry was granted custody over Soda and I, and gave up his dreams. Soda dropped out and started working full time to help with money."

"What were they like?" Lexi asked quietly, snuggling closer to him.

"They were amazing, always acting like parents to every one of the guys in the gang, especially Johnny. Mom loved life, and always did her best to care for boys; even though it was clear we always frustrated her. Dad was always smiling, his eyes like Soda's, always laughing. He never raised his voice at us, never hit us. If we did something bad, he would use guilt for our punishment." Pony finished quietly. Lexi looked up at him, and could tell he was in pain talking about them. She leaned up and kissed him, and he kissed her back.

"Lexi… We've been going on dates for a few weeks now… And um… I enjoy spending my time with you… So would like to um… Be my girl?" Lexi smiled and blushed.

"I would love to be your girl" The two leaned in and kissed again, then Pony held her in his arms as they watched the rain continue to pour down in bucket fulls.

"I should be getting you home," Pony said to her after a while. Lexi sighed and nodded, but neither made any attempt to get up.

"I don't want to leave your grip," She admitted to Ponyboy. He grinned and rested his head in her hair.

"You smell really good" Ponyboy mumbled sheepishly from her hair. Lexi laughed and turned around in his lap, so she was straddling him. She moved her right leg over to her left side and rested her head on his chest. She could smell a faint scent of aftershave and tobacco, and she loved it. They heard footsteps approaching, and looked to see Johnny and Dallas.

"Hey y'all!" Pony called over the rain, and they ran over, thankful for the shelter of the old willow tree.

"Hey Ponyboy, Lexi" Dally said nodding.

"I think we should head home, get some dry clothes and warm up a bit." Pony said. Everyone nodded in agreement, and they got up and started running for Ponyboy's house. When they got there, everyone was soaked to the bone. Pony got some of his and Soda's clothes for the guys, and took Lexi into Darry's room, and told her to sit on the bed. She did, and waited while Pony began to dig through boxes of old stuff at the top of the closet. He ended up pulling out a white shirt, and a small pair of jeans.

"These should fit…" He said quietly. Lexi took them smiling, and walked into the washroom and changed. The jeans were a bit baggy, but the shirt was tight. She walked back out, holding her wet clothes. She saw Pony sitting on his bed, looking at his hands. Lexi sat beside him and wrapped her arms around him.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, I don't have to wear your mother's clothes." Pony shook his head.

"It doesn't. It's just the first time any of us has gone through their stuff…" Lexi sighed and kissed his head, and held him while he cried quietly. Once he was done, he wiped his face, and smiled goofily at Lexi. She laughed and got up, and he followed. He grabbed a sweater from the closet and handed it to Lexi.

"Thank-you" She said. Pony grabbed her waist and kissed her quickly, but still gentle like all of his kisses. Lexi decided to test the waters a little bit, and shyly put her arms around his neck. Pony chuckled and they broke apart. Lexi blushed, and they heard laughter start from behind them. They had forgotten to close the door, and there stood Sodapop and Two-bit, laughing. Lexi blushed furiously, and hid her face in Pony's shoulder. Ponyboy blushed as well, but laughed along with them.

"Soda would you mind giving Lexi a lift home?" Pony asked his older brother, and said greaser nodded.

"Let's go Lovebirds!" He called as he walked down the hall. He was about to walk out the door; jacket on, keys in hand until Steve called,

"Shoes Soda!"

* * *

><p><strong>Aha so i hope everyone enjoyed that!<strong>

**Much thanks to _GreaserGirlie_ for reviewing as she always does! Hope you enjoyed this one my friend! **

**And major thanks to _insanexnerd1544_! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! **

**And thank-you, to whom-ever is reading this currently, for taking the time to read this A/N! LOL please review!**


	9. Romance is in the air

Darry heard the door open later that night, around three. He pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and walked out to see who it was. He saw a figure in the darkness, a figure he would forever had etched inside his brain; Violet. He smiled, and walked over, wrapping his arms around her, and she sighed into his embrace.

"What's wrong baby?" He asked her quietly.

"Do you know how to fix broken ribs?" Darry nodded, and followed Violet back to her house. He saw Jay lying on the couch, watching Hailey sleep. He looked up when he heard the door open, and smiled when he saw it was his sister and her boyfriend.

"Aye, you two having a sleepover?" He asked, and Violet blushed. She shook her head, and bent beside him.

"I brought Darry here to patch up your ribs genius." She told him, moving his shirt out of the way. Darry looked and saw what looked like one broken rib. He got some medical tape from their bathroom and tapped the area around the rib.

"Try not to breathe deeply, laugh, sneeze or cough. You have to take it real easy Jay, or you could puncture your lung." Darry told him, knowing from experience, when Dallas had deliberately ignored what Darry had told him to do, and punctured his lung. Jay nodded, and Violet got up to take Hailey back into her room.

"So… How'd it go?" Darry asked, and Jay smirked.

"Well, apart from this rib, a bunch of the guys just busted their noses. Apparently someone tipped him off that we were coming to beat Kessler up, but it was alright. We may have been outnumbered, but we beat them good. Kessler won't be around for a little while. Darry smiled back and nodded.

"But…" Jay said again, "That doesn't mean he won't be back. And when he comes back Darry… It's going to be bad, and just keep getting worse. I don't know what's wrong, and why he's acting like this, but I do know it's not going to stop. And I know that the guys will keep an eye on her, but most of them have families and girlfriends. They can't watch her all the time. I can't either."

"I will do my best Jay. I will watch them whenever I can, and I'll check up on her at lunch." Jay nodded,

"Thank you Darry." Darry nodded, and Violet came back in with Aspirin. Handing it to Jay, he dry swallowed them.

"I should get to bed, I have to go to the doctor tomorrow," Violet said, looking at Darry.

"I'll uh… I should go I guess…" He said, and Jay laughed.

"Are ya part retard? Stay here for the night. I'm higher than a kite on pain pills. I'll be out like a light in a few minutes." Jay said, getting up slowly. He walked to his room, and shut the door. Darry looked at Violet and smiled. Violet smiled back at him, and walked closer to him. She grabbed his hand, and led him into her room.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Soda woke up earlier than usual. He looked at his alarm clock and saw it was 6:30 a.m. It was weird to not hear the shower running, as it did almost every morning. Soda got out of bed, walked past his brother's room, expecting to see his brother sleeping, yet all he saw was an empty bed. He shrugged his shoulders; <em>He must have slept at Violets last night.<em> He pulled off his boxers and started the water. Ten minutes later, Ponyboy entered the bathroom and started to get ready for school. Grabbing a towel, Soda wrapped it around his waist and got out of the shower. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a small piece of chocolate cake and the milk container and drank from it.

"HEY BUDDY!" Steve said, slapping him on the back, causing Soda to start choking. Two-bit and Dallas, who had entered just after Steve, began to laugh at him. Soda chuckled sarcastically and went to get dressed. Not having Darry home was like a mini vacation to all the greasers, but mainly the Curtis's. They could eat anything they wanted, and Soda decided on eggs and grape jelly. The rest of the greasers all refused, but Pony and Johnny decided to eat some after a debate.

"Soda let's go man! We're gonna be late!" Steve called, and Soda got up, clad in his DX shirt, hat, jeans and socks.

"Soda, shoes." Ponyboy said. Soda laughed and grabbed his shoes, and ran out the door to his friend's car. When Soda and Steve got to the DX, they noticed a girl with dark hair pumping gas into her truck. Soda noticed she had long black hair and was wearing plaid, jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. Soda smiled and looked at Steve who chuckled.

"She's all yours man! I still got Evie." Steve said, walking away. Soda smiled, and walked up behind her.

"Howdy there, little lady" Soda said, and the girl laughed.

"Hello," She replied quietly.

"Do you need help with anything?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"Well my name is Sodapop, or just Soda is fine." She laughed at his eagerness.

"I'm Leticia or Lete" the girl told him. (A/N Let-e-c-ia & Let-e) Soda smiled, and noticed she had green eyes.

"So, Lete, why are ya in a cowgirl getup?" Leticia smiled,

"I'm on my way to work. I work at a ranch." Soda smiled.

"I used to have a horse, but then it was sold…. But I love horses."

"Yeah, I enjoy working with them so much, it's like at times, and they're the only ones who understand me." She confessed, immediately wondering why she was opening up to this 'Soda', when she barely knew him. Soda nodded, and moved closer to her.

"Do you have a boyfriend Lete?" Leticia smiled and shook her head.

"So… Would it be fine if I kissed you?" Leticia nodded, and Soda put his arms around her waist and kissed her. Leticia smiled and kissed Soda back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and the two continued to kiss until they were interrupted.

"Holy shit Soda! Already got her kissing ya? I think I need a few pointers!" Steve exclaimed from the garage. Soda smiled, and continued to hold Lete in his arms.

"What do ya say I take you on a date tomorrow night? Out for a nice dinner?" Soda asked. Leticia smiled and nodded.

"So I'll pick you up at seven at your place?" Soda asked.

"No! Uhm… I don't get home till eight usually, but I could meet you here if you'd like. We could take my truck." Soda nodded.

"That should be good! Hopefully see you later sweets," He said, kissing her forehead again. Leticia handed him gas money, and left. She hoped that things improved with Soda, but she also hoped that he would never find out what happens at her house. She hoped he never noticed the cuts, bruises, and scars that her father gave her. But little did she know, Soda had noticed the bruises indeed, and had already begun to wonder what really happens at her house.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Ponyboy stood outside Lexi's house, in his best pair of jeans and a clean white shirt. Soda and Darry helped him fix his hair and make it look nice without having any grease in it. He was nervous, and his palms were sweaty. Ponyboy took another deep breath and knocked on the door. A few minutes later the door opened, and there stood Lexi. He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him.<p>

"Come on in handsome," Pony smiled and walked into Lexi's house. It was roughly the same size as his; with three bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen and living room. She led him to the couch, and sat down. He sat down beside her, and pulled her closer to him.

"It's a lovely house you have here Lexi," He said, still looking around at the different pictures.

"Thanks," Lexi said smiling. Pony looked over at her and smiled. He leaned in, and captured her lips in a quick kiss. Lexi however, did not want it to be quick. She put her hands on his face, and held him in place. Pony smirked, and placed his hands on her waist. She leaned a bit closer to him, and he held her in the same way.

"Get the hell off my sister," a voice growled. They broke apart, and Pony saw her older brother standing there, looking ready to kill him. He took a step closer to the couple, and Lexi jumped up.

"Tyler back off! We were only kissing!" Tyler and ignored her and took another step towards Ponyboy, his fist clenched. Lexi put her hands on her brother's shoulders.

"TYLER! Listen to me! Back off!" Tyler seemed to snap out of his sudden fit of rage and look at Lexi. She raised her eyebrows at him. He looked at Ponyboy with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry kid. I'm going to start dinner Lex, mom should be home soon." Lexi nodded, and turned on the TV, settling back into Pony's arms. Pony was still however, shaken up from what had just happened. Twenty minutes later, the teens heard a car pull into the driveway. The door opened, and an older looking lady with brown hair walked in.

"Hi mom!" Lexi said getting up, and hugging her mom.

"Hello dear," Her mother said as she hugged her back. Tyler came out and kissed his moms cheek. Pony stood up, and awkwardly put his hands in his pockets. Lexi's mom came over and gave him a hug.

"My name is Lynn, you must be Ponyboy." She said after she let him go. Pony nodded.

"It's nice to meet you ma'am." She smiled, and looked around.

"Dinner is ready mum," Tyler said.

"Alright! Let's eat shall we?" Everyone nodded, and followed Lynn into the kitchen. Spaghetti and meatballs were on plates in four spots. Ponyboy sat across from Lexi, and Tyler ad Lynn sat at the ends. Everyone began eating,

"This is very good Tyler," Ponyboy said. Tyler nodded in thanks, and continued to eat.

"Your parents must be proud of you Ponyboy." Lynn said. Pony looked up sadly.

"I guess they are…" Pony said quietly. Lexi looked up from her dinner; she knew what was coming next.

"What do you mean, 'you guess they are'. A strong healthy good looking boy like you should surely have proud parents." Lynn insisted.

"They're dead." Ponyboy told her quietly. Lynn stopped eating and looked at Ponyboy, who could not tear his eyes from his food.

"I'm sorry dear, I shouldn't have pried." Pony just shook his head.

"It's fine, really. You didn't know, and you should know; after all I am dating your daughter." Lynn smiled.

"If you don't mind me asking, who do you live with? Aunts, uncles?" Tyler asked.

"No, my eldest brother got custody over my other brother and I."

"So how old are you dear?" Lynn asked after a few moments of silence.

"I'm fifteen."

"What side of the tracks are you on?" Tyler asked suddenly, thinking for a brief moment that Ponyboy could be a soc.

"Tyler!" Lynn and Lexi exclaimed, but Tyler ignored them and continued to stare at Ponyboy.

"East." He answered, and Tyler nodded. After another half hour of questioning over dessert, Lexi excused herself and Pony, and walked up to her room. Pony followed behind her, holding her hand. He followed Lexi into her room, and waited while she turned on the light. When the light turned on, Pony saw the room was painted a light purple, and the room was tidy; very tidy. He smiled when he saw that there were numerous stuffed animals all lined up on her perfectly made bed. Lexi blushed, and watched him as he continued to look around her room.

"It's nice," He said, looking back at Lexi. She nodded, and lied on the bed. He sat beside her, and removed a piece of stray hair that was on her face. She smiled dreamily at him, and she pulled him down beside her. He put his arm over her waist, and the other went to her hair.

"Ponyboy…" She said quietly. He looked at her, and she kissed him. He kissed her back, and kept it a simple kiss, that usually left Lexi wanting more. When Pony pulled away, Lexi moved closer than before and kissed him again. Both knew that they weren't going to have sex; they had talked about it before. They decided to wait a while until they had been dating steady for at least six months. So when Lexi straddled Ponyboy, it didn't mean anything to the two. Neither heard the door open until,

"LEXI!"

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><p>OKay So Im sorry for the wait guys! I was on vacation and had no internet. Hope this is good!<p> 


	10. The Figure

"PONYBOY MICHAEL CURTIS! What the hell were you doing on her bed making out!" Darry yelled later that night. Pony winced as Darry called his full name, and sat further back in the couch.

"I… We were just kissing Darry. We both agreed to wait for… _that_ kind of thing until we had been dating for at least a year. We just got a little carried away in kissing, but that's all it was, I swear!" Darry narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing his younger brother.

"Dare come on," Violet started. "I'm sure you already had sex at his age. Loosen up! He already swore, saying he wasn't going to do it, so have some faith in little Ponyboy."

"I'm not little!" Ponyboy protested, which was certainly true. He still had the same eyes as before, still innocent looking, and his hair and (finally) grown back, but he had reached six feet in height, towering over Violet. She smiled at him, and Darry sighed.

"Ponyboy just promise me, if you're going to have… _sex,_ to use a condom alright?" Pony's eyes went wide, and he nodded. Violet and Johnny started to snicker. The door slammed, and everyone looked up to see the arrival of the rest of their gang members,

"Use a condom what?" Two-bit said, and Ponyboy turned red.

"Nothing Two-bit," Johnny said. Two-bit smiled at said greaser and put him in a head lock. Johnny started laughing as he and Two-bit wrestled on the floor. Violet got up from the couch and wakled into the kitchen. Darry was in there, going over bills. Her arms snaked their way around his neck and she rested her head on his.

"Everything good?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Everything is good." She smiled and stayed like that until Darry pulled her into his lap. She closed her eyes and rested against his strong and muscular chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and the two sat in silence, listening to the noises coming from the living room.

"Do you want more kids?" Darry asked Violet suddenly. Violet moved her head to the crook of his neck.

"Mhm," She answered. "You?" Darry was quiet for a few moments, then responded.

"Yeah. I want kids," Violet smiled, and kissed his neck. Standing up, she looked at the clock.

"I should get going, it's getting late and Jay wants to go out tonight." Darry nodded, and got up.

"I'll walk you," Violet shook her head, claiming it's useless considering she lives three houses down. Darry agreed after some arguing and Violet left. She got to Darry's next door neighbours, she started to feel eyes on her. She looked around, and saw a dark figure across the street watching her as she walked. She started to walk faster, and the figure began to walk towards her. At this time, she was half way between her house and Darry's. _Too late to run back… _She thought, scared. She continued to walk faster, jogging almost, when she reached her house. She ran up the steps, and checked over her shoulder, not seeing the figure. She opened her door and slammed it shut, locking it. She took a few deep breaths, and calmed herself, telling herself she was safe. She turned around to see the hooded figure standing behind her. She screamed and ducked as the fist came up and tried to connect with her face. She ran to the bathroom, and locked the door.

Violet backed up, breathing hard looking around. She needed a weapon. _Think!_ She told herself. The doorknob starting jiggling, and Violet panicked. She began to frantically search for hairspray. She found a half empty bottle and grabbed it with her left hand. Grabbing her brothers lighter that was on the counter, she placed it in her right hand. The door started jerking as if the figure was throwing his shoulder into it to try and open it. Popping the cap off the hairspray, she lit the lighter. The door finally broke, and the hooded figure started coming towards her, their right shoulder sagging lightly. Violet started spraying the hairspray at the body, and put the lighter in front of it. Upon seeing the large amount of fire coming at him, the figure was able to turn out of the way just in time, avoiding burns to his face. However, the flames hit his shoulder, and he fell to the ground, withering in pain.

Violet ran around him quickly and into her daughters room. She pulled the mattress of the small bed up and grabbed her empty gun. She grabbed bullets and loaded the gun, pointed at the door. Breathing hard, she waited for the body to come out of the bathroom. Five, ten minutes passed, and there was no movement outside the door. Violet knew better than to go find the figure. She continued to wait, impatiently, with shaking hands. The longer the hooded figure waited, the more scared she became. Fear was starting to set in, adrenaline gone. She felt like she wanted to die, to cry; anything to be out of this situation. She hoped someone would walk in, and save her. But no one would. She was on her own, and part of her knew it. Darry was busy at home, Jay who knows where. She felt a breeze on her back, and moved slightly, and saw there was an open window. She took one hand off her gun, and shut it, locking it. Deciding to leave her hide and take her chances, she took off her shoe, and put it so the toe was sticking out of the door. When nothing happened, she poised her gun an arms length away from her, and stepped out quickly, facing the bathroom. She checked the bathroom, and found it empty. She checked her room carefully, and put a chair up against her brother's door. She grabbed a knife quickly, and unlocked the door, ripping it open, going to run to safety.

Taking one step, she ran head on into something thick. She looked up too see the same hooded figure. Screaming, Violet stabbed the knife into his thigh and ran around him, and to Darry house. She ran faster than she ever had before, knowing her life could very well depend on it. She barrelled in the door, and once she heard it shut behind her, she broke down crying.

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><p><strong>So i bet ya'll didnt see that coming huh? Ahah i didnt either till i started writing it! thakns to everyone who reads and reviews!<strong>


	11. Dates

Darry stood at the door, and watched as Violet left. He walked back in, and sat at the kitchen table again. Sighing, he looked up when he heard footsteps approach the kitchen. He saw Johnny standing there, smiling.

"What's up Johnnycake?" He asked,

"I'm hungry so I figured on cake if that's fine…" He said, and Darry nodded. Johnny helped himself to a piece of cake, and left the kitchen. Darry thought about what he and Violet were talking about earlier, having kids. Surely he wanted kids, to be able to watch them grown as his own?

"Darry! Soda thinks I'm cheating again!" Pony's voice called. Darry got up, making a mental note to go to the bank and pay the bills, and went to sit in the living room. He watched the young greasers play cards, and considered joining in. Suddenly they heard footsteps pounding up the front steps, and the door thrown open. There stood Violet, breathing hard, looking like she had just seen a ghost. Upon seeing everyone, she broke down crying. Darry ran over and grabbed her, hugging her close. He helped her into his bedroom, and lay down with her. When she had calmed down enough, Darry asked her what happened, and to avoid any more crying, Violet told him a shorter version.

"I-I was on my way home, and I felt someone watching me. So I continued home, and when I got to the Williams' place, he started across the street and followed me. I-I went inside quickly and locked the door, but he was already in my house. He went to punch me… but he missed and I ducked, running to the washroom. H-he broke the door down, and I tried to get him with hairspray and a lighter, but it only caught his shoulder. I ran into Hailey's room, and grabbed my gun, and loaded it and waited what seemed like forever. I finally left Hailey's room, and grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and thought he was gone. But then when I opened the front door… h-he was there… and he was g-going to k-kill me this time. I put the k-knife in his leg and ran." Violet finished, shakily. Darry pulled her close, and she cried harder, all while both didn't notice the greasers outside the door, listening as to why Darry's girl was upset.

"Were you… able to see his face?" Darry asked her softly, and she shook her head.

"H-he was wearing a hood." Dally looked at the other greasers, silently asking the question they were all thinking. Everyone caught his eye, and nodded. They left, and started walking towards the lot.

"So, how are we supposed to find him if he had a hood on?" Ponyboy asked, and Steve snorted,

"You didn't hear the part about the flames and the knife? Obviously he'd be limping with a bum shoulder. Shouldn't be too hard to find," And with that, they walked around town, keeping an eye out for this 'figure'.

"I bet it was Kessler," Johnny said quietly, and everyone looked at him.

'_How did I not think of that?' _Dallas thought, and nodded.

"That fucker better hope we don't a hold of him," Two-bit said. The gang nodded in agreement. Going along the park, they recognized Jay with Hailey, and the rest of his gang. They walked over, and they thought to tell him what had happened to Violet.

"Hey y'all," Jay said, and everyone nodded. "What brings you here?"

"Well… We're looking for someone, and that _someone_ happens to be the same guy you're looking for." Jay's gang looked at each other, and Jay held Hailey closer.

"Kessler? Why all of a sudden?"

"He attacked Violet." Soda said, and Jay stiffened.

"Is she hurt?" Peyton asked, and Soda shook his head,

"She's just spooked. But he scared her an awful lot; she's at our place with Darry."

"And you say it was Kessler?" Cameron asked, and Dallas nodded,

"Who else would have done that to her?" Jay nodded, and stood up, the rest of his gang following him.

"I'll drop Hailey off, and we'll start this search. He's a dead man." The group of boys began back to the Curtis' house and walked in. Darry was in the kitchen, doing the dishes, and Violet couldn't be seen.

"Violet is sleeping," Darry said, not looking up. Jay smiled,

"Darry I hate to ask you this, but can you watch Hailey? We got… business to take care of." Darry turned around and dried his hands off. He took Hailey from Jay, and turned to Ponyboy and Johnny.

"I want you two to stay here. I don't want you getting hurt; god only knows what Kessler has behind him."

"Darry come on! I'm fifteen! And Johnny is seventeen! We should be able to go! Both of us are stronger, and we can handle ourselves in a fight!" Darry sighed, and looked at Dallas and Soda.

"If anything happens to Pony or Johnny I'll skin both of ya, you hear?" Both nodded, and the two gangs headed out the door, leaving Darry with Hailey.

"Well baby girl, it's just you and me. What do you want to do?" Darry asked Hailey, putting her down onto the living room floor, sitting beside her. He turned on the TV to some child's program, and watched it while Hailey played with toy trucks.

A few hours later, Darry was asleep on the couch with Hailey in his arms, cuddled into his embrace. Both were worn out from an afternoon full of 'chasing' each other. Violet walked out, wearing one of Darry's shirts and a pair of her shorts. She saw Darry and Hailey cuddled together on the couch and smiled. She knew at that moment that Darry was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with; have more children with, grow old with.

* * *

><p>Soda looked at his watch, noticing the time.<p>

"I gotta go y'all. Supposed to be picking my girl up for our date," He said winking. Pony shook his head,

"You're supposed to look after Pony," Steve said, and Two-bit laughed.

"I'll keep my eye on him Soda. As will everyone else I'm sure." Soda nodded, and ran to the gas station. He saw Leticia sitting on her truck's hood, looking up at the clouds while country music played from her radio. He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, almost causing her to fall off the truck. He laughed and kissed her cheek.

"Hello Leticia," He said and she nodded blushing,

"Hi Sodapop." He grinned, and she handed him the keys to her truck.

"You can drive," She said, and Soda smiled, and opened the door for her on the passenger side. She climbed in and Soda ran around to the driver's side and started the engine.

"Where would you like to go?" He asked her, as he put the signal on and waited for the road to be clear before turning.

"Do you like horses?" She asked him and he laughed.

"I _love_ horses, why? Do you know a ranch near by that we could go riding?" Leti smiled and nodded. Soda grinned from ear to ear and started to drive as she told him the directions. Twenty minutes later they pulled up to a ranch called "The Wild West". Soda parked the truck and noticed that Leticia was wearing cowboy boots, and was grabbing her cowboy hat from the back of the seat. He smiled and grabbed her hand as they walked to the ranch.

"Hey Leti!" A middle aged man called. Leti smiled at him,

"Hey Jack, this is Sodapop. I was wondering if we could go on a trail ride." Jack smiled and nodded.

"Take your time, Sam Is staying the night tonight so let him know when you're leaving and he'll lock up alright?" Leti nodded and led Soda to the barn. The barn was definitely twice the size of any barn he'd been to. Soda followed her until she stopped at a stall with a light brown stallion. The name on the top of the stall read 'Hero'.

"He's a beautiful horse," Soda said. Leti nodded,

"Yeah, but he's a stubborn one. Only lets me ride him, bucks everyone else off. The only reason Jack is letting me keep him is because I'm paying for board and feeding." Soda nodded.

"So which horse am I riding?" He asked, and Leti looked at him.

"Are you a good rider?" Soda nodded and grinned confidently. She led him three stalls down and stopped in front of a black horse named 'Beauty'.

"You know how to tack the horses up Soda?" Soda nodded, and after showing him where the saddles, blankets, bridles, bits, and reins were, she left to tack up Hero. In less than 5 minutes, Leticia had Hero all tacked up and ready to go, while Soda was still working on tacking Beauty. She walked over to Soda, while Hero walked obediently behind her.

"Need help?" She asked smiling.

"Uhm… Maybe just a bit." He admitted, and she saw his face go a little pink. After taking ten minutes to 'remind' him what he had to do, both were ready. Both mounted their horses, and started at a walking pace until they reached an open field.

"How fast can you handle?" Leti asked smiling, and Soda shrugged.

"Fast?" He guessed, and Leti's grin grew. She leaned down to Hero's ear, whispered something and the pair took off, leaving poor Soda and Beauty in the dust. Soda kicked the horse in its flanks, and Beauty began to run; almost as fast as Hero and Leti. He caught up to them after a few minutes, and pulled back on the reins, slowing his horse down. She copied his actions, and both fell into silence as they rode through the end of the field and into a forest.

"So Leti, tell me about yourself." Soda said, not liking the quiet much.

"Well… I'm an only child… My mom died when I was ten. I live with my dad… Who isn't home a lot. I work at this ranch part time, and well… I can fight real well." She said. Soda smiled.

"What's your nationality?" Soda asked curiously.

"Half American, half Mexican. My mom was American; she met my dad when he came down with his family on a vacation." Soda nodded. "What about yourself Mr. Sodapop? Tell me about _you_," She said. He laughed,

"Well… I have two biological brothers, and four non-biological brothers. My parents died in an auto-wreck a few years ago, so I live with my brother Darry. I can fight real well too," He said smiling. She laughed, and pulled the reins to the left so that Hero bumped into Beauty, causing Soda`s and Leti`s legs to rub together. Leti smiled upon the contact, as did Soda. The trail came to an end, and the forest opened up to a river with more trees on the other side. Both dismounted their horses, and led them to the water to have a drink. Leti smiled, and pulled off her shirt, to reveal a white undershirt, and she ran into the river. Soda shook his head, pulled off his shirt and followed her in. The water was about ankle deep on him, so it went up to Leti`s mid-calf. He walked over to her, and every time he took a step towards her, she would take a step back. He smiled, and stopped, waiting for the right moment. Leti stretched, raising her arms high in the air, causing her shirt to come up a bit at the front. While her eyes were closed, Soda walked as quietly as he could towards her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning down, he kissed her stomach sweetly. She jumped in surprise, and her hands found their way down to his hair.

Soda continued to kiss her stomach, casually dipping his tongue into her belly button. Leti laughed, and Soda stood up, with his arms still wrapped around her. She leaned forward, and kissed Soda. Soda happily responded to the kiss, and Leti's arms snaked their way around Soda's neck. She stood on her tiptoes, but she still wasn't close enough to Soda. Soda, sensing what she was feeling, picked her up. They broke away for air, and both gazed into each others eyes. Suddenly, Leti started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Soda asked smiling.

"Our first kiss was with my stomach." She said, and Soda started laughing too. They decided to head back before it got too dark, and Soda started walking first. Leti looked down, and began to giggle. Soda turned back to her, causing her to giggle more. He raised his eyebrow, and made a confused face.

"What are ya laughing at darling?" He asked.

"Are ya excited to see me?" She joked, and Soda looked down to see a wet spot on the front of his jeans. They both knew it was water, yet Soda blushed anyway. "It gets worse," She said, "Your ass is soaked." Soda blushed deeper, and began to chuckle. He bent down, so his butt was touching the water, and began to splash some water at Leti. She screamed and tackled Soda, causing them both to fall. They laughed, and kissed again.

After a thirty minute ride back to the ranch, Soda drove to his house, and parked the truck.

"I had a great time tonight Soda," Leticia told him. Soda nodded.

"I did too. Come by the DX on Monday morning, I wanna see you again." She giggled and nodded. Soda kissed her softly, and then pulled away.

"Good night Leticia," He said as he got out of the truck.

"Good night Soda," And with that, she drove into the distance.

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><p>Hope everyone enjoyed!<p> 


	12. Visit to the Doctor's

Soda walked into the house and saw Darry asleep on the couch with Hailey in his arms. Looking around he couldn't see the rest of his gang or Jay's gang. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed the chocolate milk container and took a swig from the container.

"I drink from that too you know," A female voice said. Soda turned to see Violet standing there smiling lightly.

"Sorry," Soda muttered wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I don't backwash…" He said smiling. Violet laughed lightly and sat at the kitchen table.

"How you feeling Violet?" He asked sitting beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. She sighed and put her face in her hands.

"I'm terrified. I know it was Kessler, and it keeps running through my head, what if Hailey had been there? Her and Jay... He would have killed Jay… and taken Hailey from me. I just can't lose Hailey. Not ever." Soda nodded, and waited for her to continue. "I mean at the same time… Now that I'm with Darry, Kessler might come after you guys and I don't want that to happen…"

"Listen Vi, we can all handle ourselves, and besides, none of us walk alone anymore. Not since what happened with Pony and Johnny, we'll be fine alright? And you know Darry would do anything to keep you safe. All of us would Vi, you're part of the family." Violet nodded, and Soda smiled at her, giving her that reassuring smile he always used.

"So, tell me Soda, how was the date?" Violet asked smiling, and Soda grinned.

"It was amazing, we went to some ranch and took a trail ride around the property, and went into a river and joked around a bit. It was… the best date I've ever been on, I felt like I could be myself around her, and she wouldn't judge me." Violet smiled,

"She sounds like a keeper Soda," Soda nodded, and Violet stood up.

"I'm going to head to the store Soda, I'll be back later." She said, getting up.

"Well here I'll give you a ride; I mean sleepy head don't need his truck." Shaking her head, Violet smiled.

"No Soda it's alright, really. I'm just going to get some girl stuff."

"Vi come on, I'm not going to let you walk while Kessler is out there. I'll wait in the car if it makes you feel better…" Violet sighed and nodded, _All Curtis boys are too stubborn for their own good_, she thought. Soda grinned and grabbed the keys. Violet gave him directions to 'a store that has cheap girl stuff,' which ended up being the free clinic.

"Vi? Uhm… Why are we here?" Violet looked at Soda and looked away,

"You can stay in the car if you want, but I might be a while." Soda shook his head and got out with Violet. Both walked in and sat in the waiting room, until Violet's name was called. She got up, looking back at Soda, giving him the last chance to back out. He stood up with her, and followed them into the room. The doctor quickly scanned the notes, and looked up at Violet and smiled.

"Hello Violet, I'm Doctor James, and I'll be your doctor for the day," He said laughing. Violet smiled, and sat on the bed, Soda taking one of the chairs.

"It says you've been experiencing sickness every morning? And you've been peeing frequently? Anything else?" Violet nodded and blushed.

"My… my breasts have been really sore… and I've been really tired." She said, blushing. Dr. James nodded, keeping a straight face.

"Alright Violet, can you lift your shirt for me?" Violet nodded, and lifted her shirt, showing a slightly enlarged stomach area, Soda noted. The doctor very lightly pressed down, and Violet squirmed.

"It's uncomfortable…" She said, looking at Dr. James. He nodded, and handed her a vile.

"Can you please go to the washroom? I need a urine sample to test." He said, and she nodded, getting up and walking out of the room. Dr. James looked at Soda.

"Are you her boyfriend?" He asked, and Soda went red and shook his head.

"Her boyfriend is my brother… I just gave her a ride here." Dr. James nodded, and looked at his chart.

"So, do you think your brother will be able to handle a child?" Soda looked up alarmed,

"She's pregnant?"

"Yes, I believe so. Some of the most common pregnancy signs are; morning sickness, soreness of breasts, frequent urinating, and by the way she said it was uncomfortable for me to press on her abdomen, I can tell she is pregnant. Did her abdomen look enlarged to you?" Soda nodded, and the doctor smiled.

"Then why do you need her to pee in the container?" Soda asked, confused.

"I want to be sure before I tell her, and I trust you won't say anything?" Soda nodded quickly, pale as a ghost. Violet walked in, holding the vile wrapped in paper towel. She smiled and handed him the vile, and smiled at Soda.

"Okay, I will call you later in the week Violet." She nodded, and looked up at the doctor,

"Am I pregnant?" She asked, and the doctor sighed.

"I believe so. I'll send this," He rose the vile, "to the lab to get tested, and we'll go from there alright?" She nodded, and Soda noticed a panicked look in her eyes. Apparently the doctor did too.

"Soda can I talk to Violet alone for a few moments?" Soda nodded, and walked out.

"Are you alright Violet? Are you going to be able to handle a child?" Violet sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know. The father… He's struggling with money. I live with my brother, but there is no way I'm going to keep this from him." Doctor James wrote a few notes down on his chart, and looked back up at her.

"Well ma'am, we have the option of you keeping it, or… there is always adoption." Violets eyes widened and she looked up.

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><p><strong>Much thanks to GreaserGirie and MusicLover24 for their reviews!<strong>


	13. Changes Part I

She walked out to the car, quieter than usual. Climbing in, she ignored the look Soda gave her and buckled in. She thought about what the doctor had told her, and weighed what he said in her mind. Her bag was in her lap and it felt heavy. In it, were the papers the doctor had provided her with. She kept quiet the way home, and noticed when Soda shot her sideways glances. Soda sighed, not appreciating the quietness from Violet.

"Violet… What did the doctor say?"

"Nothing Soda. He was just giving me information about the pregnancy… Nothing I haven't heard before." She said, not making eye contact.

"Uh huh. What do I say to Darry?" Soda asked, stopping at the red light.

"Nothing. Don't say anything to Darry… I want to be the one to tell him the _news_" She said, and Soda sighed.

"Violet… This is amazing news! I'm so happy for you! And… I'm sorry if I didn't seem like it." Violet shook her head.

"Soda it's fine, really. But can you drop me at my house for the night… I need to talk with Jay about something." Soda looked over at her sceptically, but did not argue. He pulled up to Jay's house, and put the car in park. Unbuckling his belt, he walked up to the door with Violet, checking the house for her, while she locked all the doors and windows. She handed Soda a key.

"This is in case you need something, or Jay comes by to pick up Hailey or he didn't bring his key." She said, and Soda took it, placing a hand on her shoulder in comfort. She smiled weakly, and then Soda left, and drove home.

* * *

><p>A week later, no one in the gang had seen, or heard from Violet. No one in the gang had seen from anyone from her brother's gang either. Soda was itching to tell someone. Standing bored on the night shift, he grinned from ear to ear when he saw the familiar truck pull up to the station. He walked out, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her. She kissed him back smiling, and pulled away hugging him.<p>

"Hey Soda," She said.

"Hello darling," He said, kissing her head.

"How is everything?" She asked, walking into the DX still in Soda's arm. He sighed.

"I don't even know. Violet… I went to the doctor with her, and she is pregnant. But the thing is, is now that I know, and she was confirmed from the doctor, nobody has heard from her. And… I don't know what to do. I want to tell Darry why Violet has been ignoring him… But everytime I start to I stop, thinking that there isn't that much of a reason to tell him. I mean… Violet isn't the type to cheat… And I'm sure Darry wants the kid. You've met Darry, right? You think he would be mad?"

"No, I don't think that. Maybe there is something going on that is causing Violet to act this way. Maybe Lexi and I could go talk to her… Maybe a girl approach will work better." Soda kissed her head, then nodded.

"You would do that?" He asked.

"Well sure… I'd go with Lexi but don't forget I've never met Violet. How do you know that she'll listen to me? Or even talk to me?"

"Because she's not the type of girl to not trust others. She'll assess you when she meets you, and then if she trusts you, she'll tell you. There is no reason she wouldn't. You're hard to hate my love," Soda said, then kissed her head. The boss walked in, and smiled at Leticia.

"Hello Leticia, how are you?"

"I'm alright Mr. Dean. How are you?"

"I'm very well," He said, looking at Soda. "Sodapop I'm going to give you the night off. I know you've been working overtime every night this week, so I'm willing to give you a break because it's a Friday night. Also, here." He said, handing Soda his pay cheque. Soda smiled at him, and noticed there was extra added on then what he should have earned.

"Sir… There is too much on here. I only worked overtime four days… This is pay for seven." He said, not taking his eyes away from the cheque.

"Yes Soda, I did write it." He smiled. "And it has your name on it. Now, do me a favor and don't tell any of the boys I slipped you some extra money okay?" Soda nodded, grinning.

"Thank you so much sir… You don't know how much it means to me and my family." He said, then, taking Leticia's hand, walking out.

"Would you like a ride home babe?" She asked him, and Soda looked at her.

"Yes please baby," He said, then kissed her head grinning at the extra money that would surely pay for the electric bill. He climbed into passenger side of the truck, and Leti started driving to Soda's house. She had already stayed the night in his spare bedroom, after a particularly rough night in her house. She shrugged it off and told Soda that she fell, which is why she had broken a few ribs. Soda, being head over heels for her, believed it without a thought. She slept in the spare room that night.

Pulling up to the Curtis house, she parked when Soda invited her in. They walked in, and Darry looked up from his chair, reading the paper.

"Hey guys," He said, lacking the emotion he had had, while he was with Violet.

"Hey Dar. I think Leti and I are just going to chill around here, but this is for you." He said, pulling the cheque out of his pocket. Darry looked at the total and smiled. The first they had seen in a week.

"This is great Soda. Really it is." He said, looking at the amount again, knowing that he could pay the rest of the money owed for the bills. "Oh, Pony and Lexi are in your room, they should be doing homework."

"Alright, maybe the four of us will play cards or something…" He said, grabbing Leti's hand, leading her into his room where Pony was reading, and Lexi was lying in his arms, reading as well. Soda shook his head.

"Hey guys," The young couple looked up.

"Oh hey Soda, hello Leticia." Pony said, closing the book. The older teens nodded. Lexi got up out of Pony's lap, and extended her hand to Leti.

"I'm Lexi," She said, as Leticia took her hand and shook it.

"I'm Leticia or Leti for short." She said, and Lexi smiled, then sat back on the bed. Soda suggested playing 'Go-Fish' and everyone agreed; making idle conversation as the game went on.

"So, what are we supposed to do about the Darry and Violet situation? I mean… All of a sudden, she just up and leaves after we try and hunt down Kessler?" Pony said at the end of the game as he began to collect the cards and start shuffling. Soda sighed,

"Well… What I was thinking was that maybe we could get Leticia and Lexi to go over and talk to Violet… I'm pretty sure she doesn't have many girlfriends anyway." Lexi smiled at Soda.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind that. Maybe we could go tomorrow and talk to her. I have noticed a change in Darry's mood since she left… And I'm sure Violet feels alone right now." Leti nodded in agreement.

"Okay, sounds good. Will you girls go tomorrow?" Pony asked, dealing the cards. The girls nodded in confirmation, picking up their cards.

* * *

><p><strong>Much thanks to <em>citylights319, musiclover24, and greasergirlie <em>for their reviews! Also, big thanks again to Musiclover24, for the idea for this chapter and the next one. **


	14. Changes Part II

The next day, Violet woke up and ran for the washroom, as she had been for the past month. Jay came in behind her, and held her hair back. He rubbed her back, and she leaned into him, sighing.

"I hate this…" She mumbled. He kissed her head.

"It'll get better I'm sure little flower," He said, and looked up as the doorbell rang. Violet sighed, standing up.

"I can get it if you want. Can you get Hailey up?" Jay nodded, and Violet washed her mouth out quickly, walking to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open. She wrapped her arms around her as the cold October wind blew through the door. She looked up and saw Kessler standing there; looking clean cut and recently shaved. He smelt of aftershave and tobacco.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, dismissively.

"I came to see you… Apologize for being rough with you. I never meant to say those things to you Vi. I just… I thought that we could start over… And then I honestly got… pissed when you said you still might have feelings for Darry." He said softly.

"You were so pissed at me that you would chase after me, scare the living day lights out of me, and almost _kill_ me?!"

"What are you talking about?" He asked; his face genuinely confused.

"You followed me home last week, chasing me in here, trying to kill me!" She exclaimed.

"I've been in California with my mother and grandmother!"

"Oh yeah? How are you going to vouch for that?"

"Call my mother Violet. Call my sister, or my brother. We were there because my grandmother is dead and my mother is dying from cancer. Why would I try and kill you Violet?"

"Because I don't love you like I loved Darry!"

"Violet listen, I would never do that okay? I would be mad and probably furious… But I wouldn't try to kill you okay? Please… Just… Understand that I would never hurt you. You've known me all of your life, when have I ever tried to hurt you? Please just… Believe me Vi." Violet looked away, not sure what she should believe. Jay walked out with Hailey in his arms and froze when he saw Kessler.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked and Kessler sighed.

"I came apologize to Violet for being rough with her."

"Being rough with her?! You almost fucking killed her!" Jay exclaimed. Kessler looked at Violet and said the same story he told Violet. Jay shook his head, sighing.

"Just…" Jay shut his eyes, rubbing his forehead, "Come inside. But don't make me regret it." Kessler nodded, and walked inside.

"So… Your mom's cancer got worse huh?" Jay asked glumly, placing a hand on Kessler's shoulder. Kessler nodded, taking a deep breath.

"They say she's got about 6 months left to live. She's moving down here because it's where we live… So I have to go back in a few days, then we're going to drive down." Jay nodded, and poured three cups of coffee. He handed one to Violet and she made her coffee how she liked it, and took Hailey from Jay. She walked out into the backyard, sitting on the old swing. She drank her coffee, looking at the backyard that was full of plant life. There was a small area that was grass with a bird bath in the middle. She remembered growing up here, running around in that small patch of grass with her brothers. She sighed and kissed Hailey's head, getting up and sitting in the grass, putting down her mug.

"Baby… Mommy's going to have another baby…" Hailey looked up at her with wide eyes. "But mommy will still love you so much okay? Its… just going to be me… you… and… and Uncle Jay okay? We will get through this Hailey okay?" Hailey giggled and started playing with the grass. Violet took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes. How could this have happened? She could tell Darry… But he… he wouldn't want it. He couldn't _afford_ it. She let the tears fall, watching her daughter play.

"Vi? Uhm, Lexi and Leticia are here to see you." Violet nodded and wiped her face, blinking away her tears.

"Yeah okay," She heard the door shut, and the two girls walked over the Violet.

"Hey Vi…" Lexi said quietly. Violet smiled and nodded.

"Hey girls," She said, and then smiled at Leti, "You must be Leticia, Soda's girl."

"Yes that's me," She said smiling,

"Soda can barely contain his happiness with you Leti. You make him so happy." Violet said.

"Kind of like… How you make Darry" Lexi said. Violet blinked and nodded.

"Yeah… I guess." The girls were quiet for a moment, watching Hailey.

"Where have you been Violet?" Lexi asked and Violet sighed.

"I've… been around here."

"Why have you been avoiding Darry Vi? What happened at the doctor's?" Violet looked at Lexi, and put her hands on her stomach.

"I'm pregnant. It's… It's Darry's but… he's late on every bill. He paid the electric bill two weeks late and they shut off the hot water three weeks ago. He… He has too much on his plate to handle a baby. _I_ can't even handle another baby! Hailey is only 10 months old!" She exclaimed.

"Vi… Darry wants this baby. He… He doesn't know about it, but he's not like other guys Violet. He wants you Violet. If it's his baby, he'll do anything for it okay? Look… You can get through this. Violet, you know he loves you more than anything, and he loves Hailey like his own daughter. That boy will do anything for you Violet, don't give that up. If you decide to give that up, give him some closure. _Don't_ you dare end it like this. Darry has done everything for you." Violet looked down with tears running down her face.

"Violet… It's hard. We know that it's not easy… But… Just… Go talk to him. See what he thinks okay?" Leticia said, trying a softer approach. Violet nodded, sobbing softly. Hailey crawled over to her and crawled into her lap. Violet held her, and Lexi wrapped an arm around Violet's shoulder.

"It'll all work out Violet. I promise okay?" She nodded, wiping her eyes on her shirt.

"Okay. Let me just… Calm down… and get changed. Then we'll go, alright?" The girls nodded, and Leti and Lexi sat back.

"This is beautiful Vi," Leti told her, Violet smiled.

"This is all thanks to Jay. I... haven't touched this backyard in over ten years." She said quietly. After ten minutes of quiet, Violet stood up.

"I'm gonna go put on some jeans okay? I'll be right back." She said, getting up and brushing herself off. Violet picked up her mug and walked into the kitchen, putting it in the sink. She walked into her room, and sat on her bed. She needed to clear her head and figure out what she wanted.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, she was standing outside Darry's door with Lexi and Leti.<p>

"I don't think I can do this…" She said, and the girls sighed.

"Just go in there, tell him you're pregnant and go from there okay?" Leti said, and Violet nodded.

* * *

><p>"You're… What?" Darry asked his mouth agape.<p>

"Pregnant. Like… With child?" She said quietly.

"You don't need to say it like that." Darry said, looking away. "How… How could this even happen… We were careful Vi!"

"Well obviously not careful enough! I can't get pregnant on my own Darry!"

"Is it mine?" He asked quietly.

"_Excuse me?!"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>How was that guys? Major thanks to:<em>**

**_GreaserGirlie_**

**_Musiclover24_**

**_Samtemplesangel_**

**_21stCenturyMarauder_**

**_And all of those who are reading it! Even though it isn't reviews, I still really do appreciate it! _**


	15. New Idea's and Bad Idea's

"You're… What?" Darry asked his mouth agape.

"Pregnant. Like… With child?" She said quietly.

"You don't need to say it like that." Darry said, looking away. "How… How could this even happen… We were careful Vi!"

"Well obviously not careful enough! I can't get pregnant on my own Darry!"

"Is it mine?" He asked quietly.

"_Excuse me?!"_

* * *

><p>"You heard what I said Violet." Darry said.<p>

"How could you even ask me that?!" She exclaimed, enraged.

"Well is it a bad thing that I want to know? It wouldn't be the first time someone cheated on their boyfriend and got pregnant!" Darry said, standing up. Violet glared at him,

"Do I look like Sandy?! Why would I cheat on you Darry?! How could I cheat on you! I'm with you every minute of the day Darry!" She said, sitting down. Darry started pacing. Something moved in the corner of the room and Violet looked over to see briefly Soda and Pony, along with Lexi and Lete.

"How am I supposed to afford a baby…?" He muttered to himself quietly.

"Darry I can help you… I will help you."

"Violet how is that going to help?"

"Darry… This is your baby. And… I love you Darry. I was wrong to not tell you when I found out. I…"

"You what?"

"I wanted to avoid this. Darry I didn't want you freaking out."

Darry sighed and picked Violet up, walking into his room. He put her on the bed and lay beside her. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her.

"I'm sorry Violet. I panicked… I got scared. I just… When Sandy got pregnant while she was with Soda, she left him. And I… I was scared that you were going to leave me." Violet shook her head. She moved so that her head was rested against Darry's chest. Wrapping her arm around his torso, she inhaled his scent.

"Darry, I swear on my life this baby is yours. And I won't ever leave you baby. I love you Darry… And if this baby is any indication, I think… that we're meant to be. We… found love again after fourteen years. I feel like I can't go a day without seeing you Darry, and the week that I didn't call you… or contact you was a week from hell that I put myself through." Violet said quietly. Darry's face softened and he kissed her head. The two lay in silence for a while, the silence assuring both of them everything would be okay.

* * *

><p>"I want you to move in Violet." Darry said after a while, while Violet was making lunch for everyone. Violet sighed.<p>

"Darry… I know you're short on the electric bill… And the water bill. Having me and Hailey… move in will only make it worse. I only make so much at the bakery…" Darry shook his head, not hearing any of it.

"Violet you're carrying my baby. I want to be with it when I can, and I want you to move in. I want you and Hailey here in the house. I want… Hailey to be my daughter. I want to be her father figure Violet. Please." Violet sighed,

"Let me think about it, okay?" Darry nodded, and called everyone in for lunch. Two-bit and Steve walked in, and Violet grinned.

"Flower!" Two-bit exclaimed and hugged her. Violet laughed and hugged him back.

"Hey Two-bit," She said. He pulled back and picked up one of the sandwiches and walked into the living room, beer in his hand. Violet rolled her eyes and the rest of the boys grabbed some sandwiches. Pony and Soda handed both of theirs to their girlfriends, upon seeing that there were none left. Violet smiled, forgetting how much the boys would eat.

"Who wants some soup?" She asked, and the girls smiled at her.

"I would, please." Lexi said smiling. Leti nodded,

"Please," Violet nodded, and pulled out a few packages of chicken noodle. She filled the pot and put it on the stove, and sat at the table. Darry was on the phone with an "important call". She knew he was calling around for a better paying job. Violet sighed and placed a sandwich with a bowl of soup on his lap. He smiled gratefully and hung up. Sitting beside him, both watched the episode of Mickey Mouse that was playing.

Everyone looked up when the screen door opened, and standing there was a bleeding Johnny, who looked like he was about to pass out. Violet jumped up and ran over, and Darry grabbed him, seconds before he fell, his eyes closing and his body going limp.

"Somebody grab the car keys!" Darry exclaimed, running out to the truck. Soda grabbed the keys, running out, climbing into the driver's seat, starting the car. The drove frantically to the hospital and everyone back at the house looked at each other. Steve dug his keys out of his pocket. Two-bit, Violet, and Pony ran to the car, and Steve looked at the girls "We'll follow you," Leti said, pulling out her keys. Steve nodded, and ran out to the car. Starting the car, Steve drove to the hospital. They all ran into the emergency room and found Darry and Soda sitting in some chairs, Darry`s white shirt stained with red.

* * *

><p>Hailey started crying and Jay picked her up, putting his beer on the table.<p>

"Shh Hailey, Uncle Jay is here." Hailey quieted down, and rested her head on Jay's shoulder. Jay looked back at his gang; Blue, Cameron, Brett, Damien, Jace, and a few other guys.

"Man, you seriously believe him?" Cameron asked. Jay looked at his sister`s best friend, and sighed. He looked at every one of his boy`s, and walked into Hailey's bedroom, placing her in her crib. He walked back into the kitchen, leaning against the counter looking out the kitchen window.

"No. I don't believe him one bit. His mom may have had cancer, but she was clear of it a while ago. I called her and asked." Most of the guys in the gang smirked, knowing what their leader meant.

"The hunt is back on fella's. I want Kessler caught before he hurts her again."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm reaaalllly sorry for the long wait guys! Hope it was worth it!Thanks to everyone for their reviews!<strong>


	16. Discovering

**Hey guys! So, the only thing I ask of you is to read the note at the bottom please! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Violet returned home that night, rubbing her sore neck.<p>

"Hello?" She called as she walked into the house.

"Living room," She heard a voice call. She walked into the living room seeing her brothers' gang sitting there. She smiled and sat beside Cameron, resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

"What have you boy's been up to?" She asked and Damien shrugged, having remembered Jay's order to not tell her anything.

"Just hanging out. You know the usual." He said, and Violet nodded. Jay walked in from the kitchen and smiled at her.

"How was your day?" He asked her, and Violet sighed.

"It was alright… Johnny is in the hospital… his dad got him bad this time. He lost a lot of blood but he should be okay in the next couple of days." Some of the guys in the gang raised their eyebrows at the sound of Johnny's father beating him. Many of them had left when their fathers started beating them, and just like Darry and the gang, the boys were wondering why Johnny didn't do the same.

"So it was his dad that got him?" Jay asked, and Violet nodded.

"Yeah, Darry's gang was mad because his dad took it too far this time... Dally and Steve are thinking that his father was beyond drunk. Pony of said his father had never stabbed him _that bad_ before, mostly kept it to bruises. They're all kind of spooked about it." She reported. Jay nodded, and sat on the floor by the TV.

"I'm going to go and get a quick shower," She said, and the boys nodded. She walked away and Jay picked up the phone, calling Darry's house.

"Hello?" A gruff voice asked.

"Dallas? Can I speak to Darry please?" He heard a grunt for a reply.

"Hello?" He heard Darry ask after some shuffling.

"Hey Darry, Violet told us about Johnny." Jay said and Darry sighed.

"Yeah, we were just on our way back actually..." Darry said.

"We'll meet you there okay? I have a few questions to ask him, if that's okay." Jay asked, and the line was quiet for a few moments.

"Sure. He's room 320 okay?" Darry told him and Jay nodded.

"Okay, thanks Darry." Jay said, hanging the phone up.

"Damien, Blue, Brett, and Eddie, come with me. Jace and Cam stay here with Vi okay?" Said boys nodded, and Jay grabbed the car keys. They climbed into the back of Jay's pick up and he drove to the hospital. They all walked up to room 320, and Jay smiled when he saw the young boy awake and smiling at something Two-bit had said. He looked up and waved at the guys that just walked in.

"Hey Johnny, how are you feeling?" Jay asked, and he shrugged.

"Better than before," He said, and Jay nodded,

"You mind if I take a look?" He asked, and Johnny nodded shyly. The boys in Darry's gang looked at Jay as if he was crazy. Johnny undid the back on his hospital gown and pulled it forward, and he laid back. The boys moved forward to see a long, deep slash from the middle of his chest to his hip.

Damien looked at Jay; that was Kessler's style.

"Johnny," Jay said, looking at the younger boy, "Who really did this to you?" Johnny looked down.

"It was my father," He tried. Jay wouldn't have it.

"Johnny, look at me and tell me it was your old man." Jay said quietly but firmly.

"Kessler," Johnny said quietly. Jay pursed his lips, and nodded.

"Why kiddo?" He asked, and Johnny looked back up at him, ignoring the looks from his own gang.

"I was in the lot... And I was talking with Two-bit about Violet and how she hadn't been around in days. He... As usual got bored and left to go meet up with Dal and Steve and go to the Curtis's. I told him I was going home, but instead I stayed there.

It was quiet for a while until someone walked over. Kessler walked over, and flicked out his blade. He wanted to know everything about Darry and Violet, and I wouldn't tell him. I kept my mouth shut good; so he cut me. Said to send a message to everyone that he means business." Johnny finished quietly, and Jay nodded, rubbing his shoulder.

"Don't worry, okay kid? We're gonna catch him before he hurts anyone else okay?" Jay said, reminding Johnny of Darry. Johnny nodded, pulling the gown back on.

Jay nodded at Darry, and led his boys out.

"Jesus I never thought Kessler would stoop that low," Blue mumbled as he walked beside Jay. Jay stopped and looked at the boys who had come with him.

"Kessler is dangerous. Shepard told me he's been drinking and using drugs. We all know he wants Violet. Why? I don't know, nor do I want to know. I just want him dead. Got it?" He said. Every greaser nodded; Violet was their little sister. Jay nodded as well, and they made their way out to the car.

* * *

><p>"Where did Jay go?" Violet asked, as she walked out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair. Cameron and Jace looked up at her and shrugged.<p>

"Him and the rest of the guys left. We stayed to watch Hailey while you were in the shower. I suppose we could… Leave now." Cameron said quietly, and Violet shook her head.

"As much as I deny it, I like company." She smiled. "Besides, I don't like being alone anyways. Especially while I'm pregnant," She said and both boys grinned.

"Well I'll be," Jace said, standing and giving her a hug. Cameron smiled and hugged her anyways; Jay told him earlier in the week. Violet grinned and hugged both of her friends, and sat on the couch beside a sleeping Hailey. Cameron walked into the kitchen and brought out two beers, and handed one to Jace. They drank it while watching the news. While it when on about a recent car accident, Violet's mind wandered back to Johnny. _Was his father starting to get that bad? Maybe he should take the spare room instead of Hailey… _Violet wondered to herself. She'd have to bring it up to Darry later.

* * *

><p>"Jay! Jay wait up man!" A voice called. Jay and his boys turned to see Darry, Dally and Steve walking towards them.<p>

"What are we supposed to do about Violet?" Darry asked, "If Kessler really is hurting us for her… What can we do to protect her? To protect Hailey?" Jay sighed, looking at them.

"Kessler isn't in the right mind right now. Everyone needs a blade. And she cannot travel _anywhere_ _alone_ anymore. Alright? When I get home, I'm going to let her know okay? She needs to know so she can be prepared. I don't want it to end up like last time when she didn't know anything about it and could have been killed, alright?" The boys nodded.

"We'll work something out," Dally said, and Darry looked at Jay.

"Can I speak with you alone Jay?" He asked and Jay nodded. The two walked a little away and stopped.

"What's up Darry? Is this regarding my sister?" Jay asked, and Darry nodded.

"I… I want your permission with something," He said, and Jay looked at him skeptically.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after walking around town, Jay and his gang returned home. Violet was asleep on htecouch with Hailey in her arms, and Cameron was holding Violet. Jace, by the sounds of it, was in the kitchen. He walked out of the kitchen, and smiled when he saw the rest of the guys.<p>

"It was a normal, quiet night. Except for the fact that I'm fucking broke because Mr. I don't know how to gamble, knows how to gamble!" He said aggravated. Cameron just grinned and continued to watch the cartoon that was on. Jay picked up Hailey and walked into her room, putting her into the bed. He came back out and found that Violet and Cameron were nowhere to be seen. He turned, walking down the small hall to see Cameron tucking Violet into bed. He smiled at him, and leaned against the door way. Cameron kissed her forehead before turning. He froze when he saw Jay. Jay just smiled and left. Cameron followed him out, and sat down the same time that Jace asked what was going on with Kessler.

"It's true; we thought that he attacked Johnny and he did. Why? Johnny said for the simple fact that he wanted information on Violet. The kid refused to give it up, and Kessler wanted to send a message. Nobody travel without a blade or alone anymore okay? I want at least two people with Violet at all times alright?" All of the boys nodded, some rolling their eyes after hearing this for the third time. After a while, some of the boys left and only Jay's closest friends remained. He laid back on the couch, starting his third beer when Damien looked at him.

"What did Darry ask you about man?" He asked, and Jay looked at him.

"Well, he wanted to ask me a few things about Violet," Jay said, continuing after another drink. "He wanted to ask permission for Violet to move in with him, considering she's pregnant and all. And, he wanted my permission to ask her to _marry_ him."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, there you have it! I'm about to start up with my crazy schedule again and exams are coming up, so I promise I'll try to work on this story! I dont know why, but Tulsa Rain is starting to become my number one priority when it comes to my stories. I have checked the stats and saw the number of readers reading my chapters, and I'm quiet happy with the numbers! <strong>

**The ONLY THING I can ask for, from you guys is a simple review. It's all I ask, so please, please, please leave one. Flame or no flame, a review is a review. I'm open to _constructive _criticism. Just leave one telling me your idea's or opinions!**


	17. Shopping

**Much thanks to Staygold101, GreaserGirlie, and Musiclover24, for their reviews!**

* * *

><p>Violet woke up the next morning in the firm grip of two muscular arms. She relaxed again, and kissed the bicep softly. She heard a soft groan behind her, and smiled.<p>

"Morning baby," A husky voice from behind her said. She smiled, and turned in the arms. With her eyes still closed, she kissed him. She smiled when she felt him kiss back, and grinned when she felt his hands trail down and rest on her stomach. She opened her eyes and froze. For it was not Darry in her bed, it was Kessler. Before she could scream his hand fastened over her mouth. She started to struggle, and he shook his head.

"Ah ah," He said softly, "You wouldn't want to do that now, would you love? If you do, I might have to do this again." And with that, he punched her in the stomach. She screamed in pain as tears filled her eyes. He chuckled,

"I don't think both of you will make it out of this," He whispered in her ear. She sucked in a shaky breath as he grinned. Then, he chuckled.

"They really thought they were going to get me," He said, now laughing hysterically. "Well, I showed them all. Looks like _I _get the trophy." Violet felt herself become sick to her stomach,

"What do you mean 'You showed them'?" She asked quietly. He smirked, and grabbed her arm; yanking her out of bed. She stumbled behind him, as he walked into the living room, where Darry and Jay lay bleeding. Letting out a chocked sob, she ran to Darry first. He wasn't breathing, and his body looked lifeless. She sobbed and quickly ran over to Jay; who was in the same state. She whipped around to look at Kessler who was toying with a knife.

"Where is my daughter Kessler?!" He smirked,

"My dear, do you really think I would hurt _our_ daughter?" She slowly stood up, hands behind her back. She had a firm grip on her brother's butterfly knife, and slowly put it in the waistband of her shorts. He grabbed her arm again roughly, leading her upstairs and into her daughter's room. Hailey was sitting in her bed. Beside her crib, sitting on the rocking chair tied up; was Cameron. His eyes were wide with fear, and she could tell his eyes were telling her to get out. He made noises behind the duct tape across his mouth, but she could decipher what it meant. She walked closer to him, then turned to Kessler; hands on her hips.

"See? _Our_ daughter is fine." He said. He grabbed her by her hair and brought her back into her room, shoving her onto the bed. Violet rolled over, only to catch a swift blow in her stomach area from Kessler. She saw the frenzied look in his eyes, and knew she wasn't going to live. Tears silently fell as she took the hits, wishing she had moved in when Darry asked her too.

Kessler raised his hand to strike her again, and that's when his eyes widened. A long, guttural moan escaped his lips, and his hands clutched at his side. Red could be seen spreading around his hands. Violet looked at him wide eyed, and then briefly saw Cameron over Kessler's shoulder. Kessler twisted and, flicking out the knife from before, sliced Cameron's neck. Blood sprayed out, resulting in Violet becoming covered in blood. She shrieked, and Kessler turned and his gaze fell upon her. He took a stumbling step forward, and drove the knife into her stomach. He repeatedly raised the knife and brought it down with a lot of force for a wounded man. She could feel herself slip away, and her eyes closed. Violet couldn't do it; she couldn't hold on. She tried with everything she had. It just wasn't possible. The soul left her body, only to witness a funeral. She looked to see herself lying in a casket, looking like she was at least forty. This meant she had somehow survived the attack. Looking around the open area, she saw two teenagers standing above her. One, without a doubt was Hailey, but the other looked like someone different. The two could pass for siblings. However, when she looked closer, she could see the same structure in the face as Jace. She jumped back, as she saw an older version of her friend walk over and wrap his arms around the teens. Hailey leaned into his embrace,

"Why did she have to go dad?" Jace sighed, with tears in his eyes.

"I don't know love," He said. He squeezed both of their shoulders, before they sat down.

* * *

><p>"Violet! Vi, baby wake up! Come on honey, wake up!" She was being shaken, and could feel a faint stinging against her cheek. She opened her eyes to find the pale blue ones she knew well looking down at her in worry. Violet felt her shirt sticking to her, drenched in a cold sweat. She was breathing heavy, and was clutching the sheets.<p>

Throwing her arms around his neck, she clutched him to her tightly. Tears leaked out of her eyes like a river, dripping off her chin to his shoulder. He pulled her so she was in his lap, her head tucked under his chin. Sobs racked her body as she clutched his arms, many emotions running though her all at once. A hand trailed down to her stomach, and she felt some relief when she felt the bump. Darry rocked her back and forth slowly, his head resting atop hers. She saw the crib at the end of the bed, and could tell right away she was at Darry's house.

There was a soft knock on the door, "Dare? Is everything okay?" They heard Soda ask. Darry ran his fingers through Violet's hair,

"Yeah Sodapop," He said quietly. Soda slowly opened the door, and Violet's eyes flickered up to see Soda smile lightly, holding a mug in his hands.

"It's warm milk," He said, sitting beside her. He handed her the mug, then rested a hand on her back. "Mom always gave us this after nightmares, and we still give it to Pony. It helps you to calm down." He said, rubbing her back. She nodded, and drank some. Slowly, the hiccups from sobbing stopped, and her grip on Darry's arm loosened. She looked at her boyfriend, and her boyfriend's brother, and slowly told them everything that happened. Darry's grip tightened on her throughout the explanation, and Soda listened quietly, still rubbing her back. Once she finished, Darry kissed her softly.

"Shh love, there's no need to worry. That's not going to happen okay? I promise I won't leave you." He told her, his hand falling to rest on hers. She nodded, and Soda kissed her head.

"I'll be in my room if you two need anything." He said. He walked out slowly, and Darry laid back down, Violet still wrapped in his arms. Once her breathing slowed, he closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>The next day, Darry had off. It was raining outside, and he sat on the couch while Hailey napped in his room. He was waiting for his brothers and their girlfriend to get here, so they could go to the jeweller. He scanned the paper for the third time since he finished breakfast, when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He stood to see both of his brothers, Lexi and Lete come in. Ponyboy and Sodapop were both drenched, having given their jackets to their girlfriends. He looked at them impatiently. Both smiled and ran to their room, coming out in tight tee shirts.<p>

Darry went and picked up a still sleeping Hailey, handing her to Lexi while he put his coat on. With some help, he managed to put a rain coat on Hailey, as well as a hat.

"Everyone ready?" Darry asked, quickly counting the money in his wallet.

"Yeah Dar, let's go." Pony said, before Darry grabbed the keys. He tossed them at his little brother, who caught them in surprise.

"You're driving." Darry said, taking Hailey from Lexi. He looked at Darry, and then grinned, running out to start the truck.

"We'll take my truck," Lete said, and Soda nodded in agreement. They all ran out, trying to get as little wet as possible, when they pulled into the small parking lot of the jeweller. It was called, "Diamond and Gold", and was probably one of the most expensive stores Darry had ever been in.

They all walked in, and were immediately greeted.

"Hello! My name is Frank, how can I help you today?" A tall male asked. He smiled at the genially, a good sign.

"I'm looking for an engagement ring," Darry said, smiling.

"Alright sir, let's start looking shall we? What is your price range?" He asked, and Darry told him. Frank smiled and walked over to a section with glass cases. Darry looked over them, but none caught his eye. His face must have shown what he was thinking, because Frank led him to another row of glass cases.

"How about this one?" He asked, and the girls looked at it.

"It's okay…" They said.

"You will know when you find the right ring." Frank said, and Darry nodded. He moved over to the next case, when one caught his eye. He peered at it through the glass, and Frank pulled out a set of keys, unlocking the case. He pulled it out, and Darry smiled. He picked it up; _this_ was the one. It had a nice size diamond in the middle, with two smaller diamonds on either side. There looked to be tiny diamonds down the side, and Darry looked down at Hailey,

"Do you think Mama will like this?" He asked and she squealed, moving back and forth. Darry laughed and looked at his friends and brothers,

"What do you guys think?" He asked. Both girls were in awe, and his brothers nodded.

"That's real pretty Dar," Pony said.

"Do you know what size she is?" Frank asked, walking behind the casing, bending down and unlocking the cupboard.

"A size eight," Darry said, putting the ring back in the case. Frank smiled, and pulled out a velvet black box. He led them over to the counter, and rang up the price. Darry winced inwardly when he saw the price. Frank smiled at him, and rang a few things into the register as well, which made the price drop significantly. Darry looked at him, and Frank just shook his head. Darry handed him the money, and Frank handed him the bag.

"Thank you so much sir, you have no idea how much this means to me," Darry said, and Frank smiled.

"Is she your daughter?" He asked, looking at Hailey. Darry nodded, smiling.

"Well, if her mother looks anything like her, she's a keeper," Frank smiled. "When I came in here for my ring for my wife, another man did the same for me. I'm like you. And I'm thankful for it every day. I'm sure my wife would have been happy with any ring, but you want to give her something to show off right?"

Darry nodded, "Yeah, exactly. That's all that's been on my mind since I thought about asking her. I just love her, but you know other women. Show off their real expensive rings, making the other women feel worthless. I just want the best of everything for her." Frank nodded,

"You have a good one now, you hear?" He smiled, "And congratulations." He smiled, and walked back to the door to help a young couple. An older man with greying hair walked over to Darry.

"Hello sir, how was your service today?" He asked Darry, and Darry grinned.

"It was perfect sir." The old man smiled,

"That's nice to hear. Who was your assistant today?" He asked.

"Frank," Darry said, and the old man seemed pleased. He bid a farewell to Darry, and Darry left, followed by his brothers and their girls.

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><p><strong>There you have it!<strong>

*****The link for the engagement ring is included in my bio! Check it out!*****


	18. Cupcakes

Violet stood leaning against the bakery counter. Business had been slow recently, but she was thankful. Maryann and her husband and trusted the bakery to her while they were away on vacation, and she'd been praying that nothing went wrong. A timer went off and she went into the back, pulling out a cake. She left it to cool as she started icing some cupcakes. The bell above the door rang, and Violet cursed quietly; in the middle of icing a cupcake.

"Just a moment, I'll be right with you!" She called, still working slowly to finish the cupcake. Once it was finished, she wiped her hands on a towel she had tucked into the pouch on her apron. There, was a young girl, maybe nineteen. With her stood two women, who looked to be in their late forties.

"How can I help you ladies?" Violet asked, smiling. The lady with the deep red hair smiled at her,

"Well, we're looking at catering options for my daughter's party!" She said excitedly, wrapping her arm around her daughter, who had blonde hair, only a few shades than dirty blonde. The woman shook her daughter as to try and remove the frown from her face; yet it didn't falter. The girl let out an exasperated sigh.

"Now Laurie, what did we speak about earlier?" The girl, Laurie, rolled her eyes and plastered a fake smile onto her face. "That's better," The woman commented.

"We're looking for a caterer, as I said; to cater my daughter's party. We would like to consider this bakery as well, so please tell me, what you offer."

_Well, _Violet thought, _If Maryann should have left me a test, this would have been it. _

"Well ma'am, The Cookie Jar offers you many specialties that other bakeries or companies don't. As you see, all of our cakes and cupcakes are iced by hand, to perfection. All of our recipes have been perfected with years of experience and we are flexible. Unlike most of our competitors, we make it the way you want. We have you sample everything we make so we make it to your standards, as well as to our perfection." Violet said, leading them over to the other counter where all of the catalogues were. "And best of all, the prices are lower than any other bakery in town." She added, wondering if she really should have. It looked like these people didn't care about money.

"Well, what would you recommend?" The other lady asked who had black hair. Violet smiled,

"What can you tell me about the party?"

"Laurie darling, go and look at the cakes." The girl's mother said. The young girl walked away, and both ladies grinned at me.

"Okay, it's not actually a party. Her boyfriend is asking her to marry him, and he wants a creative way to do it. Laurie really loves cakes and designs, so we told him we would take care of it." Violet smiled.

"Well… We could make some cupcakes and have the ring placed on the cupcake." She said, and the women nodded,

"That sounds wonderful! Would you be able to make a box of cupcakes?"

Violet nodded, "Of course ma'am. All I would need is the flavors, the icing design and color, and of course, the ring." The two women began looking through the magazine with Violet as Darry walked in. Violet grinned when she saw him, and the ladies looked between the two.

"How about you just pick the design you like best?" They said smiling. Violet nodded, "And we'll go and get the ring." They whispered. They left with Laurie, saying they were grabbing their wallet, and would be back in to pay. Violet watched them leave, and then once she couldn't see them she kissed Darry quickly.

"Hey baby," he said. She grinned,

"Hey." He kissed her one more time before sitting at a table with her, holding her hand tightly in his.

"Are you busy now? Or can you take a break?" Violet told him that she wasn't busy and would be able to have a break. They talked about a few things briefly while they waited for the women to come back in. The lady with the red hair came back in with a small red box.

"This is the ring." She said, handing it over to Violet. Violet placed it into the pouch in her apron, smiling. "I'll have them ready for you tomorrow ma'am. All I need is the name and number that I can use to contact when the cupcakes are done." The lady left her phone number and her name- Aubrey White. She left, and Darry smiled.

"If I wanted to order a box of cupcakes, no special effects or nothing, how long would it take?" Violet smiled.

"Two hours babe. Why?" He smiled at her, moving some hair out of her face,

"I want a treat for the boys tomorrow. Could you make it tomorrow? It's my parents wedding anniversary and we always like to have something a little special." At his words, 'little special' Violet smiled.

"I'll start on them okay?" She kissed him quickly before saying goodbye. She worked for three hours straight, trying to perfect the design she had in mind for Aubrey.

The next day, she called Aubrey before she called Darry, letting both of them know that their cupcakes were ready. Darry got there first, and stayed a while; he was on lunch break. He ate his lunch rather quickly however.

"Watch it Darry, I don't need you being sick in here." Violet warned, and he just smiled.

"What can I say baby? I just love the sandwiches you make me." He wiped his table off, throwing out his garbage, grabbing his box of cupcakes.

"I'll see you tonight baby! I'll pick you up from work okay?" Violet nodded, blowing him a kiss. Minutes later, Aubrey walked in.

"Can I see them?" She asked excitedly. Violet opened the box, and the diamonds on the ring twinkled when the light was reflected off of them. Violet sighed; it was such a beautiful ring.

"They look perfect dear! Thank you so much!" She said, pulling out her wallet. Violet smiled, handing her a card along with her change.

"Thank you!" Violet called as she left. Then, she started cleaning everything, as was her weekly job.

When Darry came to pick her up, Violet was already waiting for him, the bakery locked up. She had her hair out of her ponytail, falling in loose waves around her shoulders. Darry grinned once he saw her, pulling up beside her. She climbed in the truck, and the two shared a passionate kiss.

"Are you ready darling?" He asked, and she nodded.

"I'm starving!" She exclaimed. He smiled and took her hand in his; driving past the road they needed to turn right on to go home.

"Darry…" Violet said, watching as the road got smaller in the side mirror. He smiled,

"I know baby. I know, don't worry okay?" Violet nodded, resting her head on the window.

"Close your eyes darling and rest for a little while." Darry said. He knew that she hadn't been sleeping; her sleep full of nightmares with Kessler. She happily closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"Violet… Baby wake up," A soft voice called. Darry smiled when she moved so that she wasn't leaning against the window. He opened the door and lightly shook her, "Violet come on honey, we're here." Violet grumbled and few times and rubbed her eyes, blindly reaching out for Darry. Darry smiled, kissing her head, hugging her for a few moments until she woke up.

"Mm… Where are we?" She asked sleepily. Darry smiled,

"Just wake up love." She sighed, wiping her eyes. Once she was fully awake and aware, Darry took her hand and together they walked up a hill. ON the other side was a beautiful picnic underneath a huge oak tree. She looked back at Darry with a huge smile on her face.

"What's all of this?" She asked. Darry smiled,

"What? I can't surprise my girl every once in a while?" Violet just grinned, following him over to the blanket. There was no one there but just the two of them, and you could see for miles around without any buildings or stores. She down on the blanket, looking at all of the food Darry had put out.

"Wow Darry… it's beautiful." She said, and Darry smiled, kissing her. They started eating, until Violet couldn't eat anymore. Darry laughed when she groaned.

"Wow baby I'm glad that I made enough," He said, and she lay down with her head in his lap, watching the clouds.

"When I was pregnant with Hailey I ate all day long." Violet said, "I was so fat." After a while, Darry mentioned dessert, hoping Violet would in fact, and want dessert.

"Yeah, that sounds good right about now." She said. Darry leaned over her as she slowly got up. She sat against the thick tree trunk, watching as Darry grabbed a box that was under the basket. She recognized the pastel colors immediately.

"I thought those were for your brothers?" She said, and Darry smiled.

"Plans got rearranged." He said. He opened the box so that the lid was to Violet; she couldn't see anything. When Darry handed her a cupcake, however, she recognized the design. Just as she took it, something in it began to twinkle from the fading sunlight.

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><p><strong>I'm really sorry for the long wait guys... Hopefully this chapter is worth it! If you have instagram, follow me! greaser_preferences<strong>


	19. Burn

**Check out my profile for the updated links on the appearance of Violet and Hailey! Oh, and Violet's ring ;)**

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><p>Violet stared at the cupcakes in her hand. She was frozen; did she mess up the order? Darry looked at her nervously,<p>

"Violet? Is… Is everything okay?" He asked. She looked at him.

"Darry, did I give you the wrong box?" He shook his head, leaning forward to take her hand that wasn't holding the cupcake. He took a deep breath, he went over this with Lexi and Leti to make sure that it sounded good.

"Violet, I've loved you literally since I first met you. That first day in junior high when we sat next to each other in French, then hung out at lunch because both of us knew no one… When you came back we were both different people; yet we were the same. Both of us had a lot more weight on our shoulders. But we worked through it, and we're staying strong through everything that life is throwing at us.

"I love you so much, and I love Hailey and our baby. You and Hailey are the best things that have happened to me in such a long time. I can't imagine my life without you Violet, and I want to wake up with you by my side every morning and go to sleep with you in my arms every night. I want to be there with you, holding your hand as we watch our children graduate and win their first soccer and football games, while they win their first dance competitions. Will… Will you marry me Violet?" By the time Darry finshed, Violet was grinning. She nodded her head, her chin wobbling. She hugged Darry tightly, her arms around his neck.

"Yes," She whispered in his ear. He grinned and kissed below her ear. Darry pulled the ring out of the cupcake, wiping the icing off, and placed it on her finger. It fit perfectly. He looked at her, and began explaining that he was fixing the roof for Aubrey, and while on his lunch break she got him talking about Violet. Aubrey insisted that she and her friend were willing to help out. Violet decided that even though she was full, she felt a celebration was in order. It became too hot for clothes, and eventually too hot for both.

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><p>"Darry, I think it's time that we head home now…" Violet said with her head resting on Darry's chest. Darry heaved a sigh, one arm wrapped around his fiancée, the other under his head as they watched the stars.<p>

"Do we have too?" Hearing the whine in Darry's tone, Violet laughed.

"Darry I think we should. Do you trust your brothers home alone?" By brothers, she meant all of the members in his gang.

"No, but I also want alone time with you; which I rarely get." He pointed out, reaching down to rub her small bump that was barely showing. Closing her eyes she relaxed at the soothing feeling.

"I know we don't Darry… But it's for good reason we don't."

"Good reason? The only _good reason_ is that Hailey likes to sleep with us. The other reason is the paper thin walls and the gang always sleeping at the house." Violet sighed,

"Would you have it any other way Darry? You can't put your brothers out on the curb because you want alone time with me… I mean we could always… Work through it." She said with a smirk. Darry grinned and winked, kissing her neck.

"Yeah?" He asked and she laughed, smacking his arm,

"Come on, let's head home. You know the boys will be hungry and they're hopeless without you. You know that Pony burns everything and well… Soda's too creative for his own good." Darry smiled and they both got dressed, packing the picnic up. The drive home was quiet but Violet never let go of Darry's hand, when they pulled onto their street, they saw at least two fire trucks and numerous ambulances.

"What's going on?" Darry asked as he got out of the truck. The gang was standing behind police tape, Soda holding Hailey.

"Someone torched Violet's house… And… Well there was a huge explosion… And from here it looks like someone blew up her truck." Steve said, looking over.

Violet ducked under the police tape and looked around frantically. She wondered where her brother was, if he was still alive. She knew he probably would have been sleeping when the house was set on fire, and she hoped she hadn't lost him.

"Vi! Flower what are you doing?" She heard her brothers' voice but couldn't tell from where, there were too many fire fighters and paramedics rushing around.

"Vi!" She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see her brother with his arm in a sling. She hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" She asked, and he kissed her head, covered in head to toe in soot.

"Kessler set the place on fire! I saw him leaving once I smelt the smoke, but he fucking broke the knob so I couldn't get out. Then he put a bomb in your car…" He said, rubbing her back. "Don't worry… I grabbed the valuables and the baby albums." He nodded to a small amount of things laying on the ground outside the front window.

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><p>The blaze continued to burn for a few hours until the fire fighters put it out, and Jay had been taken to the hospital to be treated for minor burns and a fractured elbow. Violet went home after going with him to the hospital, and saw the house had no lights on. She walked in and checked on Hailey in the spare room, before getting into bed beside Darry. He wrapped his arm around her and she smiled and turned around so her head was leaning on his chest.<p>

"You know, I was thinking we should go and get some pictures done… And have some updated photo's around the house." Darry whispered in her ear.

"You mean done professionally?" She asked quietly and he nodded.

"Yeah… You know get a few cute ones of Hailey and you… So I can put the m in my wallet and a few of us… Maybe a few pregnancy ones too… I mean we're making a bit more money now and I'm pretty sure we can afford it."

"Well… Alright but as long as you get some with Hailey too…. I need some for my wallet and purse too you know." She said smiling.

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><p><strong>Sorry it's taken me so long, but I had to get back in the groove and back on track with my plot! Reviews are golden! Leave me a review with suggestions, all reviews welcome!<strong>


	20. Tonight Is the Night

The next weekend, Darry and Violet had booked a session with an infamous photographer on the East side. They had booked the photographer for three hours and were going to do it in an open field instead of in the studio. He had told them to wear some nice clothes and even bring some changes of clothes. He had some idea's in mind of the pictures he wanted to capture.

"Darry! It's time to get up!" He heard Violet call. From the brightness of his room he guessed it was about eight, and part of him wondered why he slept so late (he was usually up around six), but then he remembered that he was up during the night with Hailey when she had a nightmare. He decided to let Violet sleep since she was about five and a half months pregnant now, and he knew It was still going to be a long road ahead of her. He reached sleepily for his pajama pants and pulled them on, throwing the covers back. He walked into the living room and sighed internally as he was embraced with the loud noise of playful arguments and the loud sound of Mickey Mouse. He saw Soda playing with Hailey, and the rest of the guys sitting on the floor; Two-bit and Steve with a beer in their hand already.

"Good morning baby," He heard Violet say from behind him as she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He grinned and turned around, kissing her softly, mumbling 'morning' against her lips. She smiled and rubbed his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. The guys started howling and cheering and Darry rolled his eyes, walking Violet back into the kitchen.

"Breakfast looks wonderful baby." Darry made himself a plate and instead of sitting in his usual chair, he sat at the small kitchen table where it looked like Violet was sitting. She smiled and handed him a mug full of coffee and he grinned gratefully. He started eating his scrambled eggs, with bacon and toast on the side. And, there was even fresh chocolate cake to be eaten after breakfast. The two mostly ate in silence, occasionally saying something little to one another, but they mostly enjoyed each other's company. After breakfast, Soda insisted he would do the dishes since Darry and Violet needed to get ready to have their pictures taken. Using the mirror in Darry's room, she began to curl her hair in long loose curls, and did her makeup so it looked somewhat natural. Only a little bit of some brown eye shadow and some eyeliner, and only a light shade of lipstick. Darry combed his hair the way he usually did, but left the grease out. Violet smiled at him and went to get both of the dresses that she bought during the week for Hailey, getting her dressed with a cute flower head band Soda bought for her as well.

They drove out of town into the rolling country side where they saw a big willow tree and long grass. It was beautiful, and coincidentally happened to be the same spot they were at when Darry proposed. They shook hands with their photographer, Mick.

"Nice to meet you both!" Mick said cheerily, "Now, I'm glad to see what you two chose to wear. Great choice Violet, I like that you wanted to emphasize your bump. Now, let's get started shall we?"

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><p>Pony nervously looked in the mirror. Tonight he and Lexi were going to do <em>it. <em>He wanted everything to be perfect, and since her brother was in jail for a month and her mother would be working, Lexi knew tonight would be perfect. He swallowed hard and walked out carefully, grabbing his jacket and he made sure he had some money for when he stopped at the store on the way there. Soda had lent him a few dollars last night along with a few condoms that he could keep in his wallet. Soda had been nice enough to give him a play by play so he knew what he would do.

While at the small corner store, he picked up a small teddy bear, a box of chocolate, and a six pack of Pepsi. He walked through the rest of the Ribbon on the way to Lexi's house, and he saw a small ring in the window of a pawn shop. He decided to walk into the store and inspect the price. It was about forty dollars, and Pony looked at the remainder of his money. He only had thirty five left. He sighed and put the ring down, walking back over to the door. An elderly man was walking in the door, and Pony smiled, holding the door for him. He recognized the older man to be his neighbour from a few houses down. He smiled,

"Why thank you Ponyboy! You're such a well-mannered young man. I saw you looking at the ring through the window and it made me realize I forgot to pay you for your work for me this summer! Here," He handed him ten dollars, and Pony shook his head.

"Mr. Jones, I can't take this. This is too much money." Pony declined politely, and Mr. Jones shook his head.

"Don't worry about it alright?" He smiled an put the money in Pony's hand. "Whoever is getting that ring is a lucky girl. Treat her well." He smiled and walked over so some old chairs, looking at them. Pony took the extra money and quickly bought the ring, making his way over to Lexi's quickly, knowing he was going to be late now. He knocked on her door and grinned when he saw Lexi open the door wearing a dark red skin tight dress. Pony swallows hard and grinned.

"Hello there beautiful." He brought her closed and kisses her passionately, they've already hit 'third base' but tonight was the night. She grinned and winked, taking his hand and leading him into the kitchen. There he saw a nice dinner set up with candels, and he smiled, Lexi found out somehow he was a hopeless romantic. He pulled the Pepsi's out and smiled, handing her one. They ate and talked about the little things and once they were done, Pony handed her the teddy and the chocolates, and a card he picked up, since tonight was Lexi's birthday. She was sixteen today and Pony wanted to make it even more special than they had already planned since she wasn't going to get a 'sweet sixteen'. He smiled and watched as she read the card, tears in her eyes.

"Pony… You didn't have to do all this for me-" Pony put his hands on her lips.

"Shh. Yes I did, you deserve so much Lexi… I… I love you." Pony said nervously and bit his lip. He was surprised when he felt Lexi's lips on his, and he smiled, putting the ring on her finger.

"I love you too." She whispered into his ear, taking his hand and walking into her room, closing the door.

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><p><strong>Thanks to GreaserGirlie for her amazing review! Please leave reviews! Even anon reviews! I love to hear your opinion on things!<strong>


	21. Wrestling

"Hey Soda?" Darry called as they walked into the seemingly quiet house. He was carrying a sleeping Hailey and Violet had the envelope of all of their pictures in it. No one answered, and Darry walked to put Hailey in her crib. He came back out and smiled lightly at Violet. "They've probably gone to the Ribbon; I heard there were some races going on tonight." Violet nodded,

"Alright, I'm going to get changed and then start cleaning. Are we going grocery shopping tomorrow?" She asked walking back into their room.

"I'm going to call the bank and see what the balance is." Darry said, walking over to the phone. He sat in his chair and started to feel relieved that for once, everything within the last few weeks was calm. Sodapop and Pony were both in love, Kessler hasn't come around for a while, and last but not least, Violet and he were acting like a married couple. He had been saving a third of his paycheque to put towards a wedding, since he didn't want Violet to have a 'greaser wedding'. He wanted to give Violet the wedding of her dreams, and he knew the only way to do that was to start saving now. He knew Violet didn't want to have the wedding until she had already given birth (and knowing her until she lost some of the baby fat) so that gave Darry at least six months to save. He heard the phone ring before he was about to call the bank, so he picked it up. He wasn't worried, social services just came and all the bills were on time.

"Hello?" He asked his voice a little deeper than usual.

"Hello… Is this Darrel Curtis?" He heard a friendly feminine voice ask.

"Yes it is; may I ask who I'm speaking with?" Darry asked, wondering who would be calling them.

"Well, its Madelyn Hayes, Violet's mum." Darry felt himself start to smile.

"It's good to hear from you Mrs. Hayes. How are you and Mr. Hayes doing?"

"Alright I suppose. We finally got out of our rent contract and we're heading back down to Tulsa. Is Violet there?" Darry called Violet and she walked over in once of Darry's fleece shirts and a pair of sweat pants. 'Who is it?' She mouthed while she took the phone.

"Hello?"

"Violet?"

"Mom? What… How did you get this number?" Violet asked quietly, reaching to hold Darry's hand. She hadn't spoken to her parents in over seven months.

"Your brother gave me the number… We're coming down to Tulsa Violet. We… We want to see you."

"Well… I mean… I guess you know that I'm living with Darry."

"Yes, your brother told me what has been going on… We'll be in town by Tuesday. We're going to stay with Jason until we can find a proper house. We hate being away from you and Hailey." Her mom said softly.

"Okay… Well I can't wait to see you mom." They talked for a little while longer until Violet heard the front door open. She said goodbye to her mother and looked up to see Pony standing there, with a love struck look on his face. He smiled dreamily, and Darry looked at him.

"Where have you been all day kiddo?"

"Well… It was Lexi's birthday today and I wanted to spend the day with her since her mom had to pick up a double shift and her brother is in jail."

"Well, how did it go?" Pony grinned, and Darry remembered that grin. The same grin he wore after his first time, the same one Soda wore after his first time. He looked up at his younger brother with his eyes slightly wide.

"Pone? Can I talk to you outside on the porch?" He walked out onto the porch with his little brother and sat beside him on the porch railing.

"So… What did you do for her birthday?" He asked and Pony shrugged, lighting a smoke.

"Well… I picked her up some chocolate and a teddy bear… And with the money left over that Soda gave me and the money from Mr. Jones, I found a nice little ring for her in the window of a pawn shop. I thought it would be nice for her to have… a representation that she's my girl." Pony said, and Darry smiled.

"Sounds like she had a great birthday," Darry said nodding. He waited a few more minutes for Pony to go on, and when he didn't he moved off the railing, reaching to grab the handle.

"Darry?" Pony said quietly. He turned around and looked at Pony.

"Yeah Ponyboy?"

"Well… We… Since it was our six month anniversary… We… We decided that today was the right day to… You know… Have sex." Pony said quietly, and Darry smiled, patting his shoulder.

"Well congrats little colt. I guess that Soda gave you a condom right?" He nodded.

"He gave me two and Lexi was on the pill. We took every precaution Dar… She doesn't want to have kids until we're both done university and both with a steady income." Darry smiled lightly, shaking his head. "What?" Pony asked when he saw his older brother smiling like a cheshire cat.

"It's pretty cool that you and Lexi are already planning your lives together and you're both still juniors. It's… Inspiring." Darry said and Pony blushed but smiled.

"I can't imagine my life without her. Every time I think about her… I get butterflies. I understand now when Soda said love is a nice… It is nice. It's the best feeling in the world." Darry chuckled and rolled his eyes at his brother's sappiness.

"Did you finish your homework?" Pony nodded and smiled at his brother, following him inside. Darry put his brother in a head lock, and for the first time in a long time, the two brothers wrestled.

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><p>Jason sat at the Dingo with Dallas, Steve and Johnny.<p>

"What do you mean, you haven't seen him?" Jason asked, looking at the boys.

"Well… We were following him around town and stuff and then… We lost him. He was threatening Violet's life… He's taken a turn for the worst." Steve said.

"What are you talking about? What was he saying?"

"He said he's tired of trying to hurt her directly… And he's going to hurt people that matter to her. He said that wounds heal in time, but wounds from a traumatic experience and psychological wounds take longer to heal." Dallas explained gruffly, and Jason sat there in silence wondering what the boys were trying to say.

"He's going after you, Darry, and the baby." Johnny said quietly.

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><p><strong>Thanks again to GreaserGirlie for her amazing review! Please leave a review and tell me wht your thoughts on this chapter are! I promise I'm friendly and I love to talk!<strong>


	22. Promotions

**Another quick update! I want to thank GreaserGirlie and MusicLover24 for their reviews! I just started second semester and my classes seem to be pretty chill so hopefully I'll continue to update quickly! **

**Warning: CLIFFHANGER**

**So I decided to end this chapter with a little cliff hanger, just to spice the story up a bit. I'm sorry if the last few chapters have been a bit boring, but I haven't decided when I want to start my climax yet. **

**Reviews are welcome and appreciated!**

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><p>Violet went to work the next morning as she did every week day. Since the bakery was doing well, Maryann promoted her to manager. She would be making almost double then what she started with and they also gave her a small raise. Since Violet had started working there business had been improving well and the reputation for the bakery began to grow.<p>

"Violet? Is that you?" She heard Maryann ask from the back office. She walked in and punched in; aware she was only a few minutes late.

"Good morning Maryann, I'm sorry I'm late." Violet said while she tied her hair up in a pony and tied an apron on.

"Oh don't worry dear. But I have a friendly girl coming after school today for an interview. I thought you could use some help as you get farther in your term." Maryann said, from her desk. Violet smiled,

"That sounds great. I'll make sure I'll send her back here when she comes." Violet smiled and had some idle chat with Maryann, and then started to bake. She had a few batches of cookies, brownies and tarts that had to be made before she opened the shop. Maryann kept working on the finances for most of the morning, leaving the rest of the shop to Violet. On her lunch she came out of her office and asked how the photo shoot went, and if she brought a picture for her. Violet smiled and handed her a regular eight by ten photo of Darry, Hailey and her and she grinned.

"Oh, this looks so beautiful. Thank you Violet." She smiled and walked back into the office, getting her coat. "I'm going to get some lunch. I'll be heading to Dairy Queen, did you want anything?" Violet shrugged and rubbed her bump softly.

"Could you pick me up a chocolate shake please?" Maryann smiled and nodded, leaving.

A few hours later Violet saw a girl walk in and saw her looking around. Violet smiled and walked over, wiping her hands on a rag.

"Hello, are you here for the interview?" The girl nodded and smiled, reaching to shake her hand,

"Yes! My name is Jacklynn, but I go by Jackie."

"Alright, I'll bring you into the office." She led Jackie to the office and knocked on the door. "Maryann? Jackie is here, the girl for the interview." Maryann smiled warmly at the girl,

"Hello Jackie! Come on in! Violet could you close the door behind you please?" Violet nodded and closed the door behind her.

Darry went back to work Monday morning, thinking of getting a new and different job. Now instead of looking forward to his job he started dreading it. He grabbed his tool belt from the back of his truck and walked over to punch in. He fastened his belt on and climbed the ladder almost expertly, nodding at some of colleagues, as they smiled in return. They were working on a new housing project just west of the East side, almost in the heart of middle class territory. He worked into the late afternoon, not taking his lunch until almost two that afternoon. He sat on the back of his truck, eating with one of his closer friends, Mack. They chatted over the work that was being done, about their families too. Just as lunch was finishing, the boss- Mr. Hedrick- walked over and looked at Darry.

"Can I speak with you in my office, Darrel?" He asked, and Darry nodded following him to the trailer that was on sight. He threw a nervous glance at Mack over his shoulder and walked up the four stairs into his boss's office, and took a seat across from him.

"How have you been Darry?" His boss asked him, leaning back in his chair.

"I've been alright sir… How are you?" He asked nervously. He raked his brain trying to think of anything wrong he'd done in the past that would be enough to get him fired.

His boss nodded, "Fine thank you, Cole got accepted to university finally, and he'll be off at the end of the year." Darry nodded politely, feeling his palms getting sweaty. "So, I guess you're wondering why I called you in here Darrel." Darry nodded, letting a small smile cross his face.

"Yes sir."

"Well Darrel, I heard from some of the guys that your fiancée is expecting. And I can assume that you're going to want some more time at home while your children grow up. So, I'm offering you a promotion. I need someone to help with reports and other jobs, such as design flaws and new ways to help improve the way we work. I know you had strong marks in ergonomics and English, plus you can work from home most days. The pay is unfortunately is the same I'm afraid."

Darry grinned in relief, "Sir that would be perfect. It means a lot that you considered me," His boss smiled and nodded.

"I'll give you a job outline and we'll discuss it in further detail later in the week. Finish up out there today, and head home." He nodded and walked out, climbing the ladder back up. He saw Mack walk over to him carefully, nodding at him.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, kneeling beside Darry to start nailing the shingles in.

"Yeah, he's going to give me a promotion so that I can work from home now and spend more time with Hailey, and the baby once when it's born." Mack grinned,

"Man that's awesome! It's really great being there while your kids grow up. I remember when Sunny and Aurora were little. I wish I was able to be around them more, but even being around them on weekends and weeknights was so… I can't even describe it. Rewarding, I guess you could say." Darry nodded, and stood up. He stepped back on the roof, looking over the nails to make sure they were in far enough. They looked good, and Darry fastened his took belt as he heard his boss call them in for the day. Since the ladder was a little ways over, he walked on a beam to get over to it. A trip he had made many times and a trip he could probably make with his eyes closed. He turned around to climb down his ladder, but lost his footing on the beam. The last feeling he remembered was the feeling you get in your stomach when you dream your falling, expect he knew this wasn't a dream.


	23. Viruses and Infections

_The last feeling he remembered was the feeling you get in your stomach when you dream your falling, expect he knew this wasn't a dream._

* * *

><p>Violet went home as usual after work, to find Ponyboy and Johnny sitting in the living room watching some program on the television.<p>

"Hello boys, how was school?" She asked, walking into the kitchen and putting her purse on the table.

"It was pretty good. I got my chemistry test back today and I got a ninety five," Ponyboy said, walking into the kitchen and handed her the test. "Can you sign it for me please Vi? Darry will be upset with me that I didn't get one hundred because I made a few stupid mistakes." Violet smiled and signed the test for him, walking over to answer the phone once it started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Sawyer Drina from the Tulsa General Hospital. I'm calling to speak with Sodapop Curtis or a Violet Hayes?"

"I'm Violet; may I ask what's going on?" Violet asked nervously, placing a hand on her bump.

"We have Darrel Curtis here; he's being treated in the emergency room as we speak. The doctor will provide more information when you've arrived." She said in a monotone voice, leaving Violet guessing she made these calls quite often. She thanked the lady for the call, and hung up.

"Ponyboy what time does Soda work until?" Pony looked at the clock.

"He and Steve should be home any minute now. Why? What's going on?" He asked nervously.

"Wait until your brother is here alright?" Violet said, looking outside anxiously. When the said boys pulled up, she nodded at the two boys and grabbed her purse. Soda was just getting out of the car and he looked at Violet.

"Vi? What's going on?" He asked noticing Pony and Johnny were right behind her.

"We need to get to the hospital," She bent down and looked at Steve from the open window, "Can you drive us?" Steve nodded and the three boys climbed in the back, letting Violet have the front seat. She rubbed her bump nervously, and looked out the window. The hospital was about a twenty minute drive from the house and it felt like the longest twenty minutes of her life. She waited for Ponyboy and Soda to get out; Steve and Johnny said they would wait in the car. She walked over to the desk and smiled lightly at the elderly lady.

"I'm looking for a Darrel Shayne Curtis? I was told he was being treated in the emergency room." The lady started looking through some files and nodded, pointing towards a small area with curtains around it.

"He's right in there."

They walked over and Violet pulled the curtain back. She saw Darry laying on the cot, with numerous cuts and bruises on his arms, his left arm in a sling and his right leg in an almost full leg cast. She saw the doctors still working on him, pulling nails out of his side. He grimaced while they pulled one out at a time. One doctor looked up and smiled when she saw them, nodding at the two other doctors. She walked around Darry and walked out of the small area enclosed with curtains, and reached to shake their hands.

"I'm Doctor Adams, and I'm the one looking after Darrel. He will be alright; he didn't have very many serious injuries. We're running some tests now to make sure he hasn't contracted any viruses or serious infections." The lady said sincerely.

"What do you mean?" Soda asked, wondering what kind of infections she could be talking about.

"What happened? Why is he even in here?" Violet asked, and Pony wrapped an arm around her for support.

"Well, from what we gathered and from what the police discovered he fell from one of the roofs at his work site. The way he landed on his leg caused his femur to fracture, to the point it separated. His friend said that Darry tried to grab the beam but his hand slipped, which most likely explains his dislocated shoulder." She explained, and the brothers nodded.

"Then how did he get nails stuck in his side?" Pony asked curiously, figuring that his brother was safe.

"The police informed us that where he fell there was a pile of nails. From what they thought, the newer workers would just toss nails off the roof. Since they all had boots on, they thought it would be safe," She looked at Sodapop, "We're running tests on his blood and skin tissue to make sure he hasn't contracted any viruses from the nails. Once we get the results back you can take him home. But you'll have to keep an eye on his side and make sure that it doesn't become infected. His leg will take time to heal, and I want him on crutches. You can make a checkup appointment at the front desk for three weeks from now, so we can monitor the progress of his leg."

Violet nodded and thanked the doctor, and walked over to the front desk.

"I need to make a checkup appointment for Darrel Curtis with Doctor Adams, in about three weeks' time." The lady nodded and booked the appointment, handing Violet a slip of paper.

"Also, here is the bill. If you go and see the administration, you can make an arrangement to start paying." She nodded and started walking down the quiet hallway, holding her purse in her hand firmly when she walked past a small waiting area and saw some rough looking boys sitting there, eyeing her. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, continuing to walk briskly towards the administration office.

One of the boys looked at another, nodding. The two got up and followed her towards the office, and before she was able to get a hand on the door, the bigger one grabbed her by her waist and wrapped a hand around her mouth so she wouldn't be able to scream. They dragged her into a room and closed the door, sitting her in a chair. The blinds were closed but she could tell there was someone else in the room.

"What do you want with me?" She asked nervously, and she heard someone snicker.

"Well well well, what do you have here?" She heard a gruff voice ask from behind her.

"L-Leave me alone Kessler." She said, her voice wavering. He chuckled and reached to stroke her face softly. She flinched and he grinned, leaning to whisper in her ear.

"I won't leave you alone until you and Hailey are mine." He said, kissing his way down to her mouth before kissing her passionately. Violet pulled away and Kessler slapped her.

"You're going to pay for that." He threatened, before pulling her shirt off.


	24. Leaving

"_L-Leave me alone Kessler!" She said, her voice wavering. He chuckled and reached to stroke her face softly. She flinched and he grinned, leaning to whisper in her ear. _

"_I won't leave you alone until you and Hailey are mine." He said, kissing his way down to her mouth before kissing her passionately. Violet pulled away and Kessler slapped her. _

"_You're going to pay for that." He threatened, before pulling her shirt off._

* * *

><p>Darry looked at his brothers drowsily. He was given pain medication once he had reached the hospital and it had knocked him out. Soda and Pony were sitting on either side of his bed. He looked at the both of them and looked around,<p>

"Where am I?" He asked groggily. Pony looked up from his book and smiled at his brother,

"You're in the hospital Dar… You fell at work today. You broke your leg and dislocated your shoulder. The doctor fixed you up but they're waiting for test results before she sends you home."

"Is Violet here? Where is she?" He asked looking around for her, rising from his bed. Sodapop jumped up and pushed his shoulders down slightly.

"Hey hey, slow down there superman. She went to go make arrangements to start paying for the hospital bill." Soda said and Darry lay back down in his bed. Ponyboy looked at the clock and noticed she'd been gone an awfully long time.

"I'm going to go and see what's taking her so long alright? I'll be right back." Pony said getting up and putting his book down. He started walking in the direction he saw Violet walk, and he walked all the way to the office. He looked around and didn't see her so he shrugged slightly, walking back out. He noticed some rough looking boys sitting in the waiting room and looked around to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He noticed one of the boys was one of his friends from school. His friend noticed him right away,

"Hey Curtis!" He called and Pony smiled and waved and he started walking over to him. His friend rose and walked into the hallway with him, away from his gang.

"Hey George, what's going on?" Pony asked worriedly, and his friend looked around slowly before lowering his voice.

"You know your brothers broad?"

Pony nodded, "Yeah, her name is Violet. Why?" He asked nervously. Something in his gut told him something was terribly wrong.

"Listen, you didn't hear this from me. But room 319 is just down the hall. Kessler has her in there and he's going to rape her. I don't know what she did to him but he's going to hurt the baby." He handed him a switch blade, "I'll make sure the guys don't interfere, but you gotta get her out of there."

Ponyboy nodded and walked down the hall nervously. He knew how Kessler fought, and he'd be a fair match for someone like Dallas or Darry, but not for a small kid like himself. He flicked the blade out before slowly opening the door to the room. He heard a quiet voice talking,

"_You sick bastard! Leave me the hell alone!" _He heard a quiet laughter,

"_Don't pretend like you don't like what I'm doing. I know he doesn't pleasure you the way I do. I know that baby isn't his. When are you going to tell him, the baby's mine? Huh?" _

"_Kessler I can't tell him! It will break his heart! I-I love him Kessler! Please leave me alone!" _Violet tried to plead with Kessler, but he wasn't hearing any of it. They both heard the door creak and looked to see a scared looking Ponyboy standing in the doorway, the bright light burning Violet's eyes. The bright light allowed the dimly lit roomed to be illuminated and Ponyboy took in the position the two were in. He saw Violet being pressed against the wall with Kessler in front of her and his hand in her pants. Pony felt his ears become hot, and tried to keep a steady voice as he took a few steps forward.

"Leave her alone." He said and Kessler simply laughed, backing away from Violet. He turned to face Ponyboy and Pony felt himself start to unwillingly panic. He was a lot bigger than the last time he saw hi,

"Or what?" He taunted, and Pony swallowed hard.

"Or I'll cut you." He said toughly, the steadiness and seriousness in his voice surprising him.

Kessler stared at him for a moment, sizing the smaller boy up. He was smaller and he knew from a few rumbles they fought side by side in the kid was quick. He wasn't sure how he handled a blade and he wondered if it were worth fighting the kid. He could get Violet a different time surely, so he walked towards Pony, keeping his cool attitude.

"This ain't over kid. You better carry that blade with you." He taunted, walking out swiftly. Pony flicked the blade back and looked over at Violet. She was buttoning her shirt and pulling the zipper up on her pants. He waited for her and then started walking out with her. He waited a few minutes until they got to the elevator. He looked at her and asked her quietly,

"Is the baby really Kessler's?" Violet looked over at him before looking straight ahead.

"No, it's Darry's. But if I kept assuring him the baby wasn't his, it's possible that the baby and I wouldn't be here right now talking to you." Pony nodded, and looked ahead as well.

"So in order to stay alive… You're playing mind games with him?" Violet nodded.

"Yes, exactly. It's like that movie you saw the other night on TV; the girl agreed with the murderer and she lived. Assured him that he was right and she was wrong and he let her live. I know that Kessler isn't mentally stable… And I know if I say the wrong thing I may not make it out alive." Violet told him, and her voice started to quiver, "And it scares the living hell out of me."

Pony hugged her once they had gotten out of the elevator, and she hugged him back tightly.

"T-thank you," She whispered into his embrace. Since he had turned sixteen, Ponyboy hit his growth spurt and had been growing non-stop. He was already 5'11 and he seemed taller every day. He was already almost as tall as Soda and it was only a matter of time until he was taller than the middle brother. She walked back to where the doctor was talking to Soda and Darry, and walked over to the eldest and took his hand, squeezing his hand. Darry grinned at her and reached up to kiss her. She smiled and leaned down to give him a kiss, hugging him carefully but tightly.

The doctor finished talking to Soda, and walked away.

"You alright?" Violet asked Darry and Darry nodded.

"Yeah, they gave me a prescription for pain killers and they said I could go. Soda just signed my release forms." Violet nodded and hugged him again, thankful to be back in his strong arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to everyone who reads! But can you guys please take thirty seconds and leave me a review? They're greatly appreciated and help me to know that I'm not writing this story for no reason. <strong>

**Thanks to _GreaserGirlie _and _MusicLover24_**


	25. Guilt & Protection

"_Yeah, they gave me a prescription for pain killers and they said I could go. Soda just signed my release forms." Violet nodded and hugged him again, thankful to be back in his strong arms._

* * *

><p>A few months passed by and nothing really occurred. Violet was thankful that during the more important months of her pregnancy that Kessler hadn't been around. She was now nine and a half months, waiting to pop. She and Darry decided to leave the gender a surprise, and painted half of Hailey's room a light green color. It was decorated with a few race cars and a few teddy bears. Hailey was really excited to be a big sister, as far as her parents could tell. She hadn't been doing much talking, mostly babbling. Violet was worrying in the back of her mind that Hailey was lagging behind a bit, but her doctor assured her that it was normal for some children to take longer to form actual words.<p>

Darry went to work earlier in the morning to hand in a report that was due within the next few days. He was going to stay at work for some of the day to talk the report over with his boss, make any suggestions and help his boss develop a better executed safety plan. She was home alone with Hailey and Pony was at school while Soda was at work for the day. It had been on her mind to try and casually ask Darry if they would be able to look for a bigger house, maybe further into the country. However since he was still in a cast and they were struggling to make the payments to pay for Darry's visit to the hospital. Valentine's Day was Friday and unfortunately because of her third term in the pregnancy and Darry's cast, they weren't able to do much. At the end of an almost half hour long debate as to what they should do, the couple just settled on staying at home and watching whatever was on TV.

Violet was brought out of her thoughts when she heard her daughter squeal from her highchair. She smiled and watched as Hailey worked her way through eating chocolate flavored cheerios. Violet herself worked on eating eggs and bacon that she made for herself, but for some reason she just wasn't that hungry. She heard a car pull up and looked out the living room window to see a sleek black car sitting in the driveway. She saw a lady get out holding what looked like a folder, in a pants suit. She swallowed hard and went to get Hailey, not quite sure who would be visiting at this hour.

There was a knock on the door and Violet walked over holding Hailey's hand. She opened it and saw the lady standing there.

"Hello, I'm Kathy Miller. I'm the boys' usual social worker." She said and Violet nodded,

"Hi, the boys aren't home however. Ponyboy is at school, and Sodapop is at work this morning."

"I'm actually here to speak with you. And then do the regular safety check." Violet nodded and let the lady in.

"Alright Violet, since you're permanently living here, I must speak with you as if you're the boys actual guardian." Violet nodded again, running her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Now, I must ask you a few questions regarding your past." Violet swallowed hard,

"Fine… Fine. What did you want to know?"

"It says on record that you haven't been able to finish paying your bills from when your daughter was born. Is that correct?" Violet nodded. She had been meaning to start paying it again but it slipped her mind so often.

"Now, I would like to know more about the people you were involved with while you lived in California."

"Well… Gabriel King was my boyfriend at the time."

"And Mr. King was part of a gun and drug cartel. Were you aware of that?" She asked, her tone becoming more accusing.

"No ma'am, I didn't know. Gabe often went out at night and sometimes on trips that were a few days long, but he always claimed it were road trips with some of his brothers." Violet said shakily. She truthfully didn't know anything about Gabe's involvement with any gang.

"Alright. And this baby is indeed Darrel's?" Violet nodded, and continued to answer questions about herself and about the gang. Darry never told her the questions they were asked regularly and the answers that they gave her. Kathy stood and asked to do the safety check. She began walking through the house and rooms silently. She went through drawers and closets, looked under the beds and under the pillows. She came back out holding a knife and a gun; both belonged to her and Darry for protection.

"Who do these belong to?" She asked, and Violet felt herself flush. She knew that if she said they belonged to Darry, Darry would lose custody of Ponyboy, since Sodapop was eighteen.

"Me… They're mine. They belong to me… I keep them with me for protection." She said quickly, and the lady put them on the table, keeping a calm expression.

"And just who do you need protection from?" She asked, and Violet struggled to find an answer.

"I… From… From some of the guys that are around the area where I work. Some guys aren't very kind to a single girl… And… I'm afraid they'll follow me home." The lady was quiet for a few moments as she wrote a few notes down. She looked at Violet and noticed some bruises on her neck, and looked around. She noticed it was unusually clean, as when she usually came the house was dirty. She looked at Violet,

"I'll be here around six. I expect the boys to all be home." She said and she walked out, closing the door behind her; Violet sighed and sat back into the couch and fell asleep holding Hailey to her chest. She didn't wake up until she heard the door open and she looked around groggily to see Darry standing there.

"Violet? Are you alright? Why is the gun and the blade out here baby?" He asked, coming over to her and sitting on the side of the couch.

"Darry… The lady from social services came today and she wanted to talk to me… And she asked about Gabe and did a house search and found them…" Darry looked at her for a few moments,

"Shit." He said and Violet felt herself feel guilty. When Pony came home, Darry told him what had happened.

* * *

><p>They were just sitting down for a nice chicken and potato dinner with salad when there was a knock on the door. Darry went to open the door and let Kathy in.<p>

"Ponyboy, Sodapop, come out here." Darry called quietly. They walked into the living room and sat down. Violet continued to try and feed Hailey, listening quietly.

"Unfortunately, with the last few checks I've done here, there are too many breaches of conduct. I spoke with my boss, and until you can make the changes and have a safe environment, Ponyboy will be taken into custody."

"W... _What_?!" Violet heard Darry's voice boom.

* * *

><p><strong>Little bit of a cliff hanger, but I hope you guys enjoy! I want to thank everyone for their views, but i strongly encourage you guys to leave me a review with some suggestions!<strong>


	26. Mother

_They were just sitting down for a nice chicken and potato dinner with salad when there was a knock on the door. Darry went to open the door and let Kathy in. _

"_Ponyboy, Sodapop, come out here." Darry called quietly. They walked into the living room and sat down. Violet continued to try and feed Hailey, listening quietly._

"_Unfortunately, with the last few checks I've done here, there are too many breaches of conduct. I spoke with my boss, and until you can make the changes and have a safe environment, Ponyboy will be taken into custody."_

"_W... What?!" Violet heard Darry's voice boom._

* * *

><p>"Darrel, I'm so sorry. But certain pieces of evidence have proven that this household environment isn't stable or safe for Pony." Kathy said, looking towards the kitchen. Darry rubbed his face and shook his head.<p>

"Kathy… Please… You know I'll do anything to keep Ponyboy out of custody… _Please…_" Darry pleaded, and Kathy sighed.

"Darrel, can I have a word with you outside?" Darry nodded and followed Kathy outside, and the two boys looked out the front window to try and make out what Kathy was saying to Darry.

"Darrel, I'm going to put Ponyboy into custody with the Mathews' family. Since it isn't safe enough for him here and the likelihood of finding a sixteen year old boy a foster home is slim, I called some of your parent's old friend. I thought it fit best that the Mathews' take him, as there is a mother figure and you're close with her son. This will be temporary, until you can prove to me that this is a stable living environment. If this situation doesn't change, then he will stay with the Mathews' until he is eighteen." Kathy said, and Darry rubbed his face.

"I know that this is hard to take in Darrel…. But it's what's best for Ponyboy. With safety concerns and other individuals that need your undivided attention, Mrs. Mathews will give him the attention he needs. You'll still be allowed to see him of course, according to Mrs. Mathews' wishes." Darry sighed at looked at the lady he's seen every month for the past two years,

"Kathy… Is this because of Violet and Hailey?" He asked, and Kathy shrugged.

"That may be part of it Darrel. But Violet is now pregnant with your son, and she doesn't feel safe in this house. Her not feeling safe and keeping a knife and fire arm in the house are against protocol and therefore can put Ponyboy in danger. And having a new born infant in the house will exhaust those in it, and Pony will begin to fall behind in his classes from the lack of sleep. I can assure you Darry that this is the best option we can give you."

Darry nodded and thanked the woman for even getting Pony to stay with the Mathews, and walked back inside, following Kathy. Kathy informed the boys as to what was going to be happening and Ponyboy seemed visibly relieved when he heard he would be staying with Two-bit and his mother, Abigail. He considered Abigail like a mother as she often would help the boys with any problems they had and give them a nice hot meal if they hadn't been able to afford one.

"Hey hobo's!" They heard someone call from outside, and the screen opened and Two-bit strolled in. He tipped his imaginary hat at Kathy and grinned, "I'm here to pick up squirt! Is he ready yet? I already have plans for us tonight kiddo! We're going to get you situated with some Mickey pajamas; like mine. So we'll match!" Two-bit exclaimed like a little kid. Ponyboy couldn't help but grin and he nodded, going to his room and packing some of his clothes. He hugged Darry tightly and walked out with Two-bit. Kathy left shortly after and Soda looked at Darry, his eyes accusing. He whispered,

"This is because of Kessler and Violet isn't it?" He whispered and Darry sighed. They both knew that was the reason; even though no one had told them otherwise. "Darry! You said that if it came down to us or her, you would choose us! The state just split us up! I don't care that he's staying with Two-bit, Two-bit and Abigail aren't his family!" Soda exclaimed and Darry glared at him,

"Sodapop don't you think I get that?! But Violet and Hailey and this baby are my family too! Ponyboy can sleepover and see us whenever he wants! And it's only temporary until they do another check and the house is safe!" Darry yelled, forgetting Violet could hear. Soda glared at him and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

The eldest Curtis brother sat in his chair and rubbed his face. _Why did he feel like such a failure? Surely his parents wouldn't be angry with him that in order for him to live with his son and daughter that Ponyboy had to be sent to live with Gail?_ Darry felt his shoulders shake as he felt everything come crashing down. Had he failed Ponyboy? Did Pony hate him now or did he understand?

* * *

><p>Pony grinned when he got into the warm and inviting feeling he always got at the Mathews house and Abigail came out of the kitchen, oven mitts on her hands and her hair tied back in a messy French braid,<p>

"Ponyboy! You're just in time for dinner! I made your favorite! Keith can you go and get Lucy for dinner please? Make sure she isn't coloring on the walls again!" She said cheerily and went back into the kitchen and Ponyboy followed her.

"Hey Gail?" He said, and she turned around, giving him a warm smile. She was the least bit surprised when he gave her a tight hug, and she hugged him back tightly. "Thank you." He mumbled into her shirt, and she smiled with tears in her eyes.

"You're very welcome sweetheart. I told you that you're always welcome here okay? And you're always welcome to go and see your brothers okay?" Ponyboy nodded yet didn't let go. Abigail knew that the boy needed a mother figure right now; he was no doubt confused about what was going on, wither he should blame his older brother or leave the blame to no one in particular.


	27. Talks and Plans

Ponyboy woke up the next morning, and smiled when for once he felt like he actually had a full night's sleep. He heard soft breathing beside him and turned to see Lucy, Two-bit's little sister, sleeping cuddled into his side. For a moment he felt homesickness rush into his gut as he remembered the nights the Hailey would whimper in his room and he would just hold her until they both fell asleep.

There was a knock on his door and he looked to see Abigail standing there smiling,

"Hi honey, I hope you slept well! I'm off to get some groceries, breakfast is ready but you'll have to warm it up. Keith is still in bed- with a hangover probably. So..." She grinned, "Make as much noise as you can."

Abigail had always been one to try and teach Two-bit a lesson, even if it was sticking Lucy in there with some pots and pans. This way he would learn not to come home drunk. Pony grinned and nodded, sitting up. He decided to let Lucy sleep a little while longer and he pulled on a pair of pajama pants that Two-bit lent him. He walked down the small hallway into the living room where Abigail was slipping into her coat.

"Do you mind if I make a phone call?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Not at all dear, and if you want to out, just wake Two-bit up to watch Lucy alright?" He nodded and said goodbye as she left. He turned and sat on the couch that was in the same spot as theirs was. He closed his eyes and imagined he was back at home, with Violet cooking, Soda playing with Hailey and Darry reading the newspaper.

He was brought back to reality once he opened his eyes. Reaching for the phone, he only had one person on his mind he wanted to talk to; one person on his mind that would help him sort this out.

"Hello?" Lexi said, after the third ring. Ponyboy grinned,

"I feel like I haven't heard your voice in ages." He said and he heard her giggle.

"Why are you up so early?" She asked, and he could tell from the sound of her voice she was smiling.

"Well I was hoping we could maybe see each other soon...

Maybe meet at the park?" He asked hopefully and he heard her pause.

"Is in about an hour okay? My mom isn't up yet and you know she'll get angry with me if I don't let her know where I'm going." Lexi said and Pony nodded, even though she couldn't see him.

"Sounds good cupcake. I'll see you then." He hung up the phone and prepared breakfast for himself when he saw Lucy walk into the kitchen, holding her blanket to her chest tightly. Pony grinned when he saw her, and she hugged his legs; clearly in a cuddly mood since she was still sleepy. He picked her up and sat at the kitchen table eating while she hugged him.

"Ponyboy I'm hungry." Lucy said after a little while and Pony smiled,

"Well, your mama left you some eggs and some bacon, how does that sound?" She nodded and Pony made her a plate, "Would you want to go to the park after breakfast Lucy?" She nodded excitedly, her blue eyes wide and innocent. After calling Lexi to confirm the time they would meet, he helped Lucy get dressed and they headed to the park.

When he got there, Lexi was waiting on the bench for him. Lucy ran over to the play structure and Lexi stood, hugging Ponyboy.

"Hey baby..." She said and he hugged her tightly. "What's wrong?"

"The social services took me away... And I have to live with the Mathews now..." Pony mumbled into her neck.

"Why? What happened Pony?"

"Apparently the house wasn't safe... I don't know Lex... I don't know who to blame... If I should even blame anyone." He said quietly, and Lexi sat beside him on the bench, keeping an eye on Lucy.

"Why do you need to blame anyone Pone? I mean... You need to think about all sides of this... Violet's side... Darry's side, and the states side. I mean Violet just wants to protect herself and your nephew… And Kessler is a real threat Pony. And Darry… Darry probably wants what's best for you and his daughter and son…" Lexi said softly and Pony nodded, and held her hand tightly. Lexi rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed her head.

"How are you and your mom doing? Ty's getting out soon right?" Lexi sighed and shook her head.

"No, he got in some trouble in jail sticking up for someone and he has to stay in for an extra month… Mom's worried that he'll get hooked on drugs or something while he's in jail." Pony nodded, rubbing her arm.

"He'll be okay Lex. Nothing major happens in the jail in town, ask Dallas. They have no drugs or anything, the worst is cigarettes." Pony said, trying to reassure her. She nodded and looked up at him,

"Can we do something tonight? I feel like we've barely seen each other all week."

"Yeah of course, what did you have in mind? I think there may be a little bon fire near the river bank tonight but I'm not sure. I could ask two-bit, I'm sure he'd know." Lexi nodded,

"Yeah, alright. Call me and let me know when you'll pick me up okay?" Pony nodded and kissed her. Forgetting about the girl he was supposed to be watching he continued kissing Lexi, running her fingers through her hair and pulling her closer. They were brought back to reality when they heard a little voice,

"Eww," Lucy said as she ran away from them. He heard Lexi laugh and he winked at her, leaning to leave a mark on her neck.

She tsked him, now she would have to hide it from her mother. Pony smiled at her,

"It's so guys know you're mine. And I plan to be doing a little more kissing tonight, yeah?" Lexi nodded.

"Sure thing cowboy, but it's that time of month again so that's all we can do."

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><p><strong>Big thanks to Greasergirlie for her review! Leave me your thoughts!<strong>


	28. New Beginnings and New Plans

**Hey guys! Just to let you know this is a larger chapter than usual! Thanks for the amount of reads and don't be afraid to review! **

**I'll be making some changes to some previous chapter that were brought to **

**my attention from Delgados, so if you get the ****notification, that's why!**

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><p>It had been almost a week since Ponyboy had moved in with the Mathew's and had slept over at the Curtis house on the Friday after school. He had come to terms that Darry hated himself for letting Ponyboy be taken away and was working in any way he could to get him back. Violet's parents had been coming around often now, and helped her out with chores and caring for Hailey while she rested; as she was now closing in on her ninth and a half month, and while Darry was working on physical therapy on his leg.<p>

Darry had been talking to social services, and she said if they were able to provide a safe environment for Ponyboy, she would have no problem letting Ponyboy live with them again. So, after having an honest talk with Violet the couple began looking for cheap houses in the country side. It would be safer for them as a family and he'd always wanted to live in the country side. He had mentioned it to Ponyboy and to Soda, and both of his brothers were excited. The rest of his gang members were upset they would be moving (if they found a place they could afford), but Darry had a feeling that if they left, the gang would surely follow.

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><p>"Hey Darry, Rodger just called. He wants us to go look at a house today, he says it's perfect." Violet said when he walked out of the washroom after his shower. They were approved from the bank to purchase a new house, and Violet was excited. They told Rodger-their agent- they wanted at least four bedrooms, and it was proving to be a challenge with the little amount they had.<p>

"Yeah? Alright, I'll get Hailey ready." He said, walking into Hailey's room. He was having mixed feelings about moving, as he didn't want to sell the house he grew up in. In a way it was his only reminder of his childhood when his parents were still alive. He didn't want to tell Violet because she was practically bouncing with excitement that they were really going to move, though he wasn't quite sure why she wanted to move so bad. He dressed Hailey and carried her out into the living room, where Violet was waiting for them. He smiled at her and got the address, and they left to look at the house.

The house was impressive, and if Darry's mind hadn't been clouded with doubt he would have seen that it would have been the perfect house for them; a large backyard, with mature trees, and even a little house at the back of the property. There were four bedrooms, a large kitchen and even a fire place in the main room. When Rodger asked how they liked it, Darry smiled and said he liked it, but Violet knew her fiancé better than he thought and knew that something wasn't right with him.

"I love it Rodger, I think it's perfect. But… Could you give us a moment to talk it over?" She asked and he nodded, letting the two sit in the living room to chat.

"Darry, babe what's wrong?" She asked, resting a hand on his leg. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I... I just don't know how I feel about moving Violet… And I know you want too so badly but… I just... I don't want too," he said, before admitting quietly, "I don't want to sell my parents' house because it's the only memory I have left of them." Violet's face softened and she reached to stroke his face lightly.

"Darry babe… Why didn't you tell me?" She and he shrugged.

"I just know you want to move so badly… And I know that with moving into this neighbourhood I can get Pony back and that's what I want… But I just don't want to sell the house to someone who will ruin it. It's all that they left us and I just… I can't bring myself to send it. They put their whole lives of saving into the house and…" He said, feeling tears fill his eyes. Violet moved to hug him tightly.

"Baby if it means that much to you we won't move okay?" She concluded and Darry sighed, nodding. She rubbed her ever growing enormous bump, and stood up with Darry. When they walked out, they saw Steve's car, and saw six faces looking in awe at the house.

"Wow Dar!" Soda exclaimed and Pony nodded in agreement. "Is it yours?" He asked grinning and Darry shook his head. He felt terrible, he knew Violet loved this house, but didn't want to leave the other house behind. Soda and Pony took him aside and talked to him for a little while, while Violet had a seat in the truck, watching as Johnny held a babbling Hailey.

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><p>"Well… Do you like the house?" Soda asked and Darry nodded.<p>

"Yeah I do… It's the perfect house for us. Pony, you can have a room and there will be enough room for us, and there's an office that we can convert into a bedroom for you Soda." Soda swallowed hard and looked at Darry, a solution clear in his mind.

"Well… What if me and Steve moved into the house? We'd pay you rent for the house…" I tried and Darry looked at me closely, wondering if I was joking. "Dar, I'm serious. I'm nineteen now, and you always say that I'm responsible.

"Violet's parents and Two-bit's mum is just around the corner, so if we ever need anything, they're right there. That way, Steve can stop sleeping in his car, and we still get to keep the house. And then once I'm old enough, I'll take the house and live there with my family. I love the house more than anything Dar. You need this house and it's perfect for you and Violet to start your life." Soda said and Darry bit his lip, thinking over the options.

Soda had a great point, it would teach him how to be responsible and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he trusted Soda and Steve to be responsible. Then with the extra room they'd have, he had a feeling Dallas would move in. This would assure that his gang would be safe and off the street. He hugged Soda tightly and nodded, whispering into his ear, "Okay."

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><p>Darry walked over to the group of his friends he's come to consider family, and his real estate agent. Violet looked him, smiling when she saw him, and Darry noticed the disappointment in her eyes. Everything about this house was perfect, even the price was below their maximum budget. He looked at his real estate agent, and grinned, reaching out to shake his hand.<p>

"We have a deal."

With those four words, everyone started to grin as well, glad that Darry was happy. No one was aware of the deal that Sodapop made with his brother, and he would mention it to them later in the day. Rodger had them sign some papers and left to go meet with the sellers, while the gang went to a little ice cream shop down the road. Everyone got ice cream and they sat on the bench as well as the tailgate of Darry's truck.

"So, what made you change your mind?" Steve asked, and Darry smiled.

"Well, Soda purposed an idea to me, and it makes sense. So, while Ponyboy, Violet and I are living in the new house, Soda will be living in the old house and paying rent." Darry said, and Sodapop grinned at his buddy,

"What Darry isn't saying is that he cleared us to live in the house Stevie!" He said excitedly, and Steve smiled at Darry gratefully,

"Wow… Thanks Dar…" He said quietly and Darry smiled.

"I expect the both of you to be paying rent, and I don't want _any_ parties in the house, okay?" They both nodded quickly, and Darry looked at the two greasers that acted like brothers, sitting on the hood of Steve's car.

"As for you two," He said to Dallas and Johnny, "You two will be living with Violet and I." Johnny looked at them surprised.

"What?" He asked quietly and Violet smiled.

"Well, I saw you two looking at the separate house at the back of the property and it gave me an idea, and I mentioned it to Darry. It will get both of you out of the street and learning to live with some responsibility, so you both can live there." At the mention of getting Johnny off the street, he hugged Violet tightly, the Darry, trying to hide the fact that he had tears in his eyes. All he had wanted was to get away from his parents, and now it was coming true. Violet smiled and kissed his head. She even thought she saw Dallas have tears in his eyes, before he quickly shook it off.

"Thanks Vi, Darry." He said and said people nodded at him. And it seemed like for the first time in what felt like a long time, everyone was going to be safe.

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><p>Rodger had just come back with the news, the sellers accepted their offer. Darry and Violet were grinning and shared a celebratory passionate kiss, in which the gang cheered.<p>

"You two will get the keys on Thursday, as the sellers need to move quickly. They offered to leave some of the major items for you as well, such as the couch and the beds. They also agreed to leave the appliances as well." Rodger said, before shaking Violet and Darry's hand. He handed them the deed and congratulated them, "Well, you can drop by my office on Thursday any time after noon, and I'll have the keys ready for you, alright?" Everyone nodded, and when Rodger got in his car everyone slapped Darry on the back.

"Can we get a dog?" Pony asked excitedly, and Darry nodded grinning.

"Sure! Hell we could have three with the size of the property!" He exclaimed, and that's when a contraction hit Violet. She grimaced and at first no one noticed. Taking a few deep breaths, she rubbed her bump. It was Two-bit who noticed her discomfort first,

"Hey Vi… Are you alright?" He asked, and everyone's attention was soon directed towards her. She took another deep breath and looked at the boys she grew to love,

"I went into labor." She said calmly, and everyone's eyes went wide.

"What?!" Darry exclaimed, rushing over to her side, and she shushed him.

"Darrel, calm down. We need to wait until the contractions are three to five minutes-" She said before grimacing as another contraction hit her. "I think… I think we need to get to the hospital." She said; her voice filled with pain. Soda took Hailey as Darry helped Violet into the truck, then got in and sat beside Violet. She had her eyes closed and was practicing steady breathing as Darry rushed to the hospital, Steve and the others close behind in his car. Darry got out and helped Violet into a wheel chair as Soda followed close behind, before looking back at his friends,

"Steve! Can you go and grab Violet's overnight bag? It's in her closet!" Steve nodded and sped away. He walked in and found Violet and Darry filling out paper work, and he sat beside his brother.

"Alright, Ms. Hayes, let's get you situated and check how dilated you are, okay?" A nurse said, and Violet nodded. Darry handed in the forms and followed, as Soda waited outside. He knew that this was it, and he was nervous for her. He hoped more than anything that everything went okay.

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><p><strong>Big thanks to GreaserGirlie for her kindness and her review for every single chapter! Also, thanks to delgados for their reviews! <strong>

**Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**


	29. Welcome To The World

"_Alright, Ms. Hayes, let's get you situated and check how dilated you are, okay?" A nurse said, and Violet nodded. Darry handed in the forms and followed, as Soda waited outside. He knew that this was it, and he was nervous for her. He hoped more than anything that everything went okay._

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><p>"Alright Ms. Hayes, you're about eight centimeters dilated. We need to wait until you're the full ten before we can start," The nurse said, and Violet nodded, taking long and deep breaths when the pain increased. Darry was holding her hand, pressing little kisses to her knuckles every so often.<p>

Steve ran in with Violet's overnight bag, followed closely by the other four greasers. Soda took the bag and walked into the room that he saw the nurse take Violet into, and when Hailey saw her mother laying there, groaning in pain, her eyes watered, reaching for her. Soda shook his head,

"No no baby, not yet okay? Mama has to bring the baby into the world!" He said, handing Darry the overnight bag. Darry nodded gratefully and Soda walked out, sitting in the waiting room.

"Anyone have any idea how long this is going to take?" Dallas asked, and Ponyboy shrugged.

"I've heard some labors can last up to seventy two hours." Everyone let out a groan and sat there, waiting for the newest greaser to be born. The boys attempted to amuse themselves with anything until they heard a loud scream from the room Violet was in. Ponyboy and Johnny blushed, going wide eyed, and no one really said anything until they heard a little voice exclaim,

"Mama!"

At first, everyone looked around, wondering who in the world would have said that since they were the only ones in the waiting room at the moment until Sodapop noticed Hailey's teary eyes.

"Hailey?" He asked, and she looked up at him, her eyes full of tears, and she said again,

"Mama!" The boys went wide eyed and they all began to grin and laugh, she had finally said her first word! They were brought back from their celebration once they heard yet another scream, and Johnny looked at the guys,

"Is that Violet?" He asked quietly, and Steve rolled his eyes,

"No shit." Dallas glared at Steve and looked at Johnny,

"Yeah, why?"

"Because, I ain't ever getting a girl pregnant." He said, and the boys started laughing.

"Well shit instead of giving you the sex talk I shoulda just brought you here." Johnny stood up and mumbled something about going to the cafeteria as he walked away. The screaming came periodically for about two hours, until it was quiet. The boys waited for fifteen minutes before they saw their oldest brother walk out, a grin eating his face and tears in his eyes.

"Y'all wanna come meet your nephew?" He asked, and they guys grinned, standing up and patting him on the back. They followed Darry into the room where Violet was laying on a bed, her hair in a loose ponytail and some strands stuck to her face, with a bundle of blue blankets laying in her arms.

She looked up at the five boys and grinned, handing her son over to Darry so he could show them their nephew.

Soda was the first one to hold him, and he grinned, kissing the baby's head, rocking him softly.

"Hey there little guy…" He said, grinning when he noticed that the baby was born with a full head of hair.

Hailey, who was sitting patiently in her Uncle Ponyboy's arms, looked around for her mother. She didn't like it when Pony held her because he didn't like to cradle her or hold her softly like her Uncle Soda did. She started to squirm once she saw her mother, and reached out of her. But at first Violet didn't notice her daughter reaching out for her, and Hailey began to get frustrated.

"Mama!" She said loudly, and Violet's head snapped over to her first born. Her grin grew and she reached for her daughter,

"That's right baby! I'm mama!" She said in an excited voice, making her daughter squeal, and she looked over at Darry, pointing to him,

"Dada!" She said and Darry nodded, picking her up and spinning her around,

"That's right baby girl! I'm your daddy!" He said and Hailey's squeals and giggles rang through the room, causing the newborn to wake up from his slumber.

However, instead of crying like everyone expected the little baby to do, he just yawned and snuggled back into Soda's embrace. Soda handed him to Steve, and Steve handed him to Dallas and so on, until the baby was back in his mother's arms.

"What's his name?" Johnny asked, smiling at the little baby.

"How much did he weigh?" Ponyboy asked, knowing from the look of his nephew he wasn't over eight pounds.

"His name is Darrel Ethan Curtis, and he was six pounds, three ounces." Violet said, kissing her sons head. Soda and Pony felt tears in their eyes when Violet said their nephew's first name was going to be Darrel.

"And he can go by whatever name he wants," Darry added, and they nodded. A nurse came in with a bottle for Violet so she could feed baby Darrel, and the boys left seeing as it was getting late. After feeding Darrel, Violet let Darry hold him as he slept, and she had Hailey asleep next to her when she fell asleep, exhausted from the day's events.

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><p>Darry sat in the rocking chair, holding his son. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he had actually made a human being, with the girl of his dreams, and was now a father. He already had some idea of what to expect from the nights he helped out with Hailey, but was ecstatic that his son was born healthy. He kissed his head as his son slept, feeling tears run down his face. His son was beautiful, with his nose and Violet's cheek structure; he knew his son would surely be a looker. He was so overcome with emotion, he didn't notice his fiancée had woken up from her nap and was listening to what he was about to say,<p>

"You came into this world in the blink of an eye kiddo, but you sure lit up the room… And I gotta say it was one of the best days of my life. I'm gonna promise you that I'll be the best dad that I can, and I'll take you by your little hands and help you learn to walk, and when you stumble I'll pick you right up. I'll be your number one fan. You're going to grow older, and wiser, and chase your dreams. And one day you're going to have a family of your own… And make this same promise to your son. Son, you mean the world to me, and I'll love you no matter what. I'm so glad your mine, little guy."

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><p><strong>Big thanks to Greasergirlie for her review! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter!<strong>


	30. New Addition

**See the A/N at the bottom for the link!**

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><p>The next week went by quickly. The boys had been helping Darry and Violet pack their things and move into the new house. The walls needed a new coat of paint and the garden would need work but everything else was perfect. Since the owners decided to leave the couches and appliances it saved the couple lots of money and time. They painted the house on the first day they had the keys so that it would be safe for baby Darrel by the time everyone moved in, a week later.<p>

Darry was real happy that he bought the house, and now that he actually owned it, he loved it. He loved how spacious and how well it fit to his family, and he loved the fact that the front yard and back yard were huge, more than enough room for the kids to play. Hell, between him and Ponyboy he even managed to talk Violet into getting a puppy, since they would be up anyways with Darrel.

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><p>Today they were putting the finishing touches on the house and then Violet, Pony, and he would be picking a puppy before finally settling into the new house. Violet had been exhausted since the baby had been born but outrageously grateful that Darry could stay at home with her and help her out.<p>

When he asked her about getting a dog, the only reason she didn't say no was because he would be at home with her to help out, along with Ponyboy. If it was just going to be her alone with the dog she would have said no; it would have been too much to handle.

"Hey baby! Are you ready?" Darry called, walking in with Pony to pick her up from the house. They were picking up the puppy and heading straight to the new house.

"Coming!" She called from the bathroom, and she walked out carrying Darrel in an onsie that Two-bit picked up for them, (It was Mickey Mouse, of course.) and Darry grinned when he saw his fiancée and his son. Hailey was already at the house with Sodapop and Steve, and they were building the new play house for her in the backyard.

"Ready to go sweetheart?" He asked and she nodded, getting into his truck, and sitting in the middle.

"Have you boys had any thoughts on which kind of dog you to get?" Violet asked, and both Darry and Ponyboy grinned.

"Well Ponyboy really liked the Australian Shepherd , they're big and they're very gentle and loving, where as I like the collie or golden retriever or border collie since they're a better guard dog and better suited for new born babies. So now it's up to you to decide. The breeder has all three kinds." Darry said, pulling into a big store. Violet got out and held Darrel close as a strong wind blew across them. She walked into the store with her boys and smiled at an older lady that worked there.

"Hello!" She greeted, walking over to the group. "My name is Linda, what can I do for you today?"

"My name is Darry; this is my fiancée Violet, my brother Ponyboy, and my son Darrel. We're looking for a puppy, something that is good with children. We also have a daughter that will be one soon." Darry said smiling, and Linda grinned,

"Well, our most common breeds that most people take home are the Golden Retriever, the Collie, and the Australian Shepherd."

Ponyboy nodded, "We did our research and that's what we came up with. But we're wondering if you have any opinions? My brother and I both can't decide."

"Well, it depends on what style and environment your family has. The Golden Retriever needs to be groomed every day, prefers a nice size yard, and is watch dog. The Australian Shepherd can also be a guard dog but has a great temper and loves children. However they need to be exercised during the day, and if not it can cause them to develop behaviour problems. Labradors will love children but need to be trained not to be rough with them, but need large amounts of exercise to prevent obesity." Linda said, walking with the trio to the back of the store where all of the puppies were. However there was a handful that caught Violet's eye and she walked over to look at those puppies.

Linda followed her, "These are the Australian Retriever puppies. They're a cross between the Golden Retriever and the Australian Shepherd." Violet grinned and called Darry and Ponyboy over, almost laughing when both brothers said 'awe' at the same time. Since this was a mix of the breed they both wanted, Violet thought it was the perfect solution.

"Pony why don't you pick the puppy?" She asked and he grinned, getting into the pen before picking up a black, grey and brown puppy.

"This one!" He said, and Darry grinned,

"That's the one. I want that one." He said. Violet rolled her eyes grinning and smiled at Linda.

"We'll take it." Linda smiled,

"Great choice, now; do you need the puppy materials?" She asked and they nodded. They followed Linda around the store, getting the puppy a new leash and collar, two feeding bowls and a bunch of toys. They came to the crate section and Linda looked at them,

"Did you decide if you wanted to crate your puppy?" Darry and Violet looked at each other and shook their heads.

"No, he'll probably sleep with Pony at night." Linda nodded and took them to the front so she could fill the puppy's information out and then she rang up the items. Ponyboy pulled out his wallet and paid, before picking the puppy up. Darry was taken aback by his brother's eagerness to pay, but didn't say anything about it. They walked to the truck and Pony sat on the side, grinning when the small dog cuddled into his chest.

"Do you even know which gender it is Pone?" Darry asked, and Pony checked,

"Girl. Oh, and these forms say we need to make an appointment with the vet to get her shots." He said, reading over the forms.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Violet asked and Pony bit his lip, thinking of some decent names. Darry decided that he would let Pony be the master of this dog, and he could learn some responsibility.

"Scout." Ponyboy said and Darry nodded.

"Sound's good. I like it," He said as he pulled into the driveway of their new house.

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><p><strong>Thanks to everyone for reading the chapters! And big thanks to greasergirlie for her review!<strong>

**Link to the puppy! **

** .ca/search?q=australian+retriever&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=v5IXU9vxA9ODqgGKl4GgDw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=667#q=australian%20retriever%20puppies&revid=1567895598&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=pNqyxyDU5lTRnM%3A%3BrYGdg_-ngo5MKM%3BpNqyxyDU5lTRnM%3A&imgrc=pNqyxyDU5lTRnM%253A%3BYIWOOvcC7_3QM%3Bhttp%253A%252F% .com%252Fdog-images%252Fjayde-the-australian-shepherd-mix_52936_2011-02-06_ %3Bhttp%253A%252F% .com%252Fpuppies%252Fjayde-the-australian-shepherd-mix_2011-02-06%3B450%3B496**


	31. Baby Mama

Sodapop and Steve were sitting on the porch with Hailey when they saw the truck pull up. Sodapop stood up as Hailey got up and stumbled over before Steve took her hands and helped her walk over to Darry. Darry grinned and picked her up, kissing her head.

"There's my princess! How was your day?" He asked and Hailey squealed, grabbing his lips and giggling, while Pony got out of the truck holding Scout. Sodapop and Steve grinned at the little puppy, walking over to pet it. The puppy looked around nervously with wide eyes before licking Ponyboy's face and staying close to his chest.

Pony chuckled, "She's just a little nervous is all," He said, before handing her over to see Sodapop. Once Soda was holding her she started to wag her tail and lick his face. He laughed and rubbed her head,

"Who's a pretty girl?" He cooed and Scout liked his face and her tail wagged faster. Violet smiled when she got out of the car. Steve grinned,

"There's the baby mama." He said and Violet grinned, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I feel like the baby mama." She said, yawning. Darry smiled and kissed her head.

"Come on." He said, taking her hand and leading her upstairs to their room. Violet smiled when she saw it, it was her perfect idea of a room. A large king size bed (compared to his parent's double since Ponyboy and Soda got the queen size mattress) centered on the long wall beside her window, two lanterns hanging on the wall on either side of the bed posts with two beside tables underneath. There were a few newer dressers that Darry found in a small shop in the heart of Tulsa that he bought since it was a matching set.

Then, at the foot of their bed was Darrel's crib, for the first few weeks of his life. She found it easier for him to be in there, and he wouldn't be waking Hailey or Ponyboy up. However most nights so far she had been sleeping with them anyways, so it was usually the four of them in the same room. Violet put Darrel in his crib and smiled at Darry, slowly hugging him and she held her smile while she rested her head against his chest. He kissed her head, and mumbled, "I love you baby." into her hair. She smiled,

"I love you too Darry… And I'm so glad you're the father to my children and the love of my life. I wouldn't be anywhere without you." She said, and he kissed her forehead.

"Get some rest now, okay darling? I'll worry about supper and the boys okay? Don't you worry, I'll take care of them." He said softly, so she could relax and turn her 'mothering' switch off and rest.

"Darry, you always take care of everyone… And you need to take a break." She said, and he sighed. He wanted nothing more than a solid five hours of sleep, as he'd been on the go the past few weeks moving, painting, and parenting. But, he knew that Violet was more exhausted than he was. He could see it in her features. Her eyes looked tired and she appeared to have slight wrinkles in her face that she gets from lack of sleep. However Darry was glad to see that her smile was still genuine and her eyes still full of life and laughter.

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><p>"<em>You need to keep your eye on her alright? With all that's going on right now, the move and the sudden cost for everything, she could slip into postnatal depression," The doctor told Darry quietly while Violet was sleeping with Hailey. <em>

"_What's postnatal depression?" Darry asked, almost fearfully. He'd dealt with depression before with Johnny and he didn't think he could bear it if Violet suffered from depression. It would most likely cause him too much pain._

"_It's when the mother feels severely depressed within the first few months of the child being born. If not treated properly, it can lead to depression. Some things to watch out for are: anxiety, loss of appetite, irritability with children and the father, and over emotional; for example really tearful, angry or low. All the time is common, but often when this occurs it happens at the same time every day, for example only in the afternoons." He said. The doctor handed Darry a pamphlet on it, and Darry nodded in thanks. _

"_Thank-you…" He said; skimming through it to see if he could think of any questions before the doctor walked away. "How many women suffer from this?" He asked, and the doctor pursed his eyebrows together. _

"_About one in five," He said, "But if you keep her happy and keep her thinking positive then you'll most likely keep her away from this."_

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><p>Darry kissed her head again before taking her shirt off and undressing her, helping her into one of her night gowns. He laid her down in the bed and tucked her in before lying on her side so they were spooning. Once he heard the soft snores coming from Violet he slowly and carefully got up, checking on his son to see him asleep before walking out to see his brothers and daughter.<p>

He smiled at Sodapop and Steve, and they nodded back at Darry.

"Hey, you mind if we head home now?" Sodapop asked and Darry and Darry shook his head.

"Naw, thanks for watching Hailey today." He said, before getting some money out of his wallet and handing it to the duo. Sodapop grinned and thanked his brother before walking out, and Steve stayed behind.

"Uh… Darry?" He asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Darry looked over at his brother's best friend, and nodded at him to continue, while making a snack for Hailey. "Look… I was wonderin'… If… If Evie could move in with us?" Steve asked and Darry turned to look at him once Hailey was eating her sliced apples.

"Well… I mean…" He sighed, "As long as you and Evie are responsible, alright?" He said and Steve smiled in relief.

"Thanks Dare… Well uh… I guess… I should get going now." He stated, before pulling his shoes on.

"Wait Steve." He said, and Steve looked at him, noticing a nervous glint in the greaser's eyes. "What's going on?" He asked, and Steve bit his lip.

"Nothin'." He said, but Darry knew him better.

"Steven, tell me what's going on." Darry said, and he took a deep breath, looking at Darry with eyes that reflected pain and disappointment.

"Evie… Evie had a miscarriage." He whispered his voice thick. At first Darry wasn't sure what to do. He didn't know if he should hug Steve or let him be. But when he saw his friend's chin quivering, he decided a hug might be best. He hugged Steve tightly, and Steve hugged him back briefly.

"It'll be okay. I know its hard man… But it'll be okay. Hell, I didn't even think you wanted kids." He said, trying to lighten the mood. Steve half glared at him, half rolled his eyes.

"I didn't for a while. But now that it was a possibility… I was excited." He said, and Darry sighed.

"Look, just be there for her okay? You'll get through this, and if she's still depressed after a few weeks… You could get her a dog. They often help with depression," Darry said and Steve nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright… Thanks Darry." He said and walked out, getting in Sodapop's truck. Ponyboy came down the stairs from his room and smiled at Darry,

"Hey Dar, can Lexi come over?" He asked and Darry nodded.

"Yeah sure. She can stay for dinner too if she wants." He said, knowing it was only a Friday and he didn't mind letting Pony stay up a little later, seeing as he was almost seventeen now.

Ponyboy grinned and thanked his brother before running upstairs to the phone he got in his room earlier in the day. Darry smiled at Hailey and she giggled, munching on her apple slices. He knew then, that everything was going to be alright. However, since it had been a long time since he heard about Kessler, he had almost forgotten about him. _Almost._

* * *

><p><strong>Big thanks to everyone who read! <strong>

**Also, big thanks to:**

**GreaserGirlie**

**Amy Hamato **

**for their reviews on chapter 30!**

**And a big thanks to delgados for their review on almost every chapter! **

**I'm glad y'all like it! Thanks for reading!**


	32. Gratefully

Steve walked out to his best buddy's truck and got in quietly. He hadn't told Sodapop about Evie having a miscarriage, and he hadn't told him that Evie was still in the hospital recovering; as it had been a car accident that caused the miscarriage.

"Hey Soda… Can you just drop me off at the hospital?" He asked quietly and Soda looked over at him.

"Why? You feeling alright?" He asked, making a right instead of a left, driving towards the hospital.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Steve said, hoping that his friend would drop the subject. He didn't want to talk about it. Steve felt like he had already come too close to crying around Darry and he certainly didn't want to do it again with Soda. However despite his wishes his best friend noticed that he was on the verge of tears.

"Steve, buddy, what's going on?" Sodapop tried again, taking his eyes off the road to glance over at his buddy. His head was resting against the window and every once in a while he would blink hard; as if to keep back tears. "Steve… Come on buddy you're scaring me… What's wrong?"

"Evie got in a car accident." He said, his voice cracking on the word 'accident'. Sodapop went wide eyed for a few seconds before letting out a long breath.

"Oh man… Steve... Buddy I'm so sorry…" He said and Steve shook his head, digging his fingers into his eyes to stop the tears from coming.

"S-She… She was p-pregnant man." He breathed, his voice betraying him and wavering. "She w-was driving home f-from her shift at the Dingo and s-some drunken asshole t-boned her and t-took off!"

Sodapop stayed quiet, not sure how to deal with his best friend's pain. He pulled into the hospital and parked, before reaching over and squeezing Steve's shoulder.

"She's going to be okay."

Steve nodded and got out of the truck, walking through the parking lot to the main entrance.

"She's in the ICU right now… She's been in and out since it happened. One of her lungs collapsed, her pelvis is fractured and they're keeping a close eye on her kidney. She's on an artificial lung to help her breathe properly… She can't talk much. She needs a new lung in order to survive Sodapop… And I can't afford to keep her in there.

I can't afford to pay for her surgery and her parents aren't being much of a help… They can't afford much either. And if I can't afford to keep her in here much longer… Then once I stop paying the bill they'll take her off the lung and let her suffer in some room with others that can't afford to pay and are in their death bed!"

Sodapop swallowed hard, he knew what his best friend was asking. Steve was asking for Sodapop's inheritance money, to pay for Evie's surgery. He looked over at his best friend once they were in the elevator.

"Stevie… Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?" He said softly, and that's when the tears started to run down Steve's face. He looked over at Sodapop, his eyes begging him to say yes, his face contorted with sadness and pain. It hurt Sodapop to see Steve like this.

"Sodapop please… You know I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't desperate… I'll pay you back for every penny with interest… _Please_." He knew that his best friend was in love with Evie and he knew that no matter how much they fought that they were perfect for each other. Hell he went with Steve to buy her engagement ring, so he knew that he had to do this. Since he was over eighteen he already had his money in his account, separated from the money that he would be making.

He looked over at his best friend, but didn't answer him in time before the elevator opened. He walked with Steve, but stopped at the nurses' station.

"I would like to speak with Evie Sander's doctor please." Sodapop said and the nurse nodded, paging a Doctor Adams to the nurses' station in the ICU. An elderly doctor walked over and nodded at the boys, recognizing Steve.

"Hello boys, what can I help you with?" He asked, and grabbed Evie's chart from the nurse. He glanced at her chart when he looked at Sodapop, "Who are you?"

"I'm Steve's brother." Sodapop said and Steve nodded, standing a few inches behind Sodapop, wondering what his friend was going to do.

"Well then what can I do for you boys?" Doctor Adam's asked, and Sodapop licked his lips nervously, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Do you have a lung for Evie?" Sodapop asked, and the Doctor nodded,

"Yes, we do. But unfortunately it's hospital policy that we cannot perform any surgeries unless they are to save a life. Evie can sustain herself on the artificial lung, and until you can provide the payments-"

"We can make the payments." Sodapop said firmly and the doctor nodded, being taken by surprise.

"Well, alright. You can go and see administration, and speak with them about the cost of the surgery and the payments. Once they approve that the money has been transferred, we will get Evie to surgery and get her a lung. But this needs to happen _as soon as possible_. Evie's lung is waiting, but it can't wait forever." Sodapop nodded and smiled at Steve,

"Go and see your girl. I'll go and take care of the payments okay?" He said and Steve nodded before hugging Sodapop tightly, tears running down his face again.

"Thank you so much," He whispered in Sodapop's ear, and Sodapop clapped his back.

"You're welcome brother." They parted and Steve walked to Evie's room, nodding at her parents. He took the seat across from them and took Evie's hand. They smiled at Steve sadly, it was getting worse.

"I got the money," Steve said quietly, and they looked at him hopefully.

"You got the money? How did you manage…?" Her mother, Sophia, asked, her chin wobbling, yet she was smiling.

"I asked one of my brothers to lend me the money… And thankfully he agreed." Steve said smiling. He glanced over at Evie and made sure she was unconscious before looking at her father, Tony.

"Sir… I've been meaning to ask you something… And it's really important to me. Now… Before you jump to conclusions, please hear me out." Tony nodded at the young man; a small smile playing on his lips with an idea of what he was about to ask, "I want your daughter's hand in marriage. I know that you probably hate me, and I understand. I know that Evie and I fight a lot… But I love her.

And I'm a stupid idiot that didn't realize it until I almost lost her… And until we lost our baby. But I love your daughter, more than I'll ever love anyone. And I want her to be mine, officially. I want to give her the wedding of her dreams and I want to give her the family she always talked about." Sophia and Tony grinned, before Tony walked around the bed and reached to shake Steve's hand. Steve looked at Tony with questioning eyes before reaching to shake Tony's hand.

"Welcome to the family son. I approve of you marrying my daughter." He said, and Steve grinned, hugging him.

"Thank you so much sir." Steve said grinning, and they looked up when the door opened. Sodapop and Doctor Adams walked in.

"Evie's new lung is on the way." He said smiling, and tears ran down Sophia's face.

"Oh thank you!" She exclaimed, hugging Soda tightly. However Sodapop just shook his head, yet he hugged her back.

"Don't thank me okay? Steve was the one who asked me for the loan, and that's all it was. I'm very glad that I was able to help you guys, and I'm glad that Evie is going to be okay. Because trust me… If anyone needs help and deserves it, it Steve and Evie." Sodapop said and she kissed his cheek, smiling at him with glossy eyes.

"Your mother would be proud." She whispered and Sodapop licked his lips, blinking quickly.

Evie gasped awake and began to choke as she usually did, with the foreign feeling of a tube down her throat. Steve jumped up and squeezed her hand, stroking her face and keeping solid eye contact with her.

"Shh, Evie sweetheart it's okay, look at me. Hey, look at me. Breathe baby… Breathe." He said calmly and she nodded her breathing not as harsh. "Sodapop lent me the money baby, we're going to get you that lung, and we're going to get married, and we're gonna have as many kids as you want okay?" Steve said, grinning and stroking her hair. Evie nodded, tears leaking down her eyes, and through her pain, she smiled at Steve.

* * *

><p>Thanks to:<p>

**Greasergirlie**

**Amy Hamato **

for their reviews on the previous chapter! And thanks to Delgados for their review on previous chapters! I appreciate all you guys for reading this story!


	33. Gift's and Forever

Violet woke up and stretched and smiled when she realized she was cuddled into Darry's side of the bed, his pillows surrounding her. She smiled and decided to get up and got one of Darry's flannel shirts and a pair of her sweatpants, running a brush through her hair and walking into Hailey's room to see if she was taking a nap. Biting her lip when she was that Hailey wasn't taking a nap, she walked past Ponyboy's room on her way back to the stairs.

"They're adorable… I can't wait to have kids with you." Violet heard Lexi say. She smiled and backed up, knocking on his door. It was two-thirds of the way closed, as it was a new deal between Ponyboy and Violet and Darry, if he wanted to have Lexi over.

"Yeah?" She heard Ponyboy call. Violet walked in and smiled when she saw that Hailey was cuddling with Ponyboy while she slept, and Lexi was sitting on the futon in his room, holding Darrel. Scout looked up at Violet from her spot on Pony's bed, and her tail thumped excitedly.

"Hey… Is Darry downstairs?" She asked, and Ponyboy shook his head,

"No, he went to go pick up pizza for dinner tonight."

"Okay," She nodded and smiled, "Do you want me to take Hailey or Darrel?" He smiled and shook his head.

"No, it's alright. We don't mind watching them," Pony said. She nodded and smiled, walking downstairs. She took a seat in the living room, looking around the house. This was the house that she dreamed about when she was younger. The antique but homie feel made her fall in love. The fact that there were four bedrooms was perfect, because she had always wanted more than two kids. The big "wow" factor of the house would be the fireplace in the middle of the living room, which had bricks around it, looking like a frame.

There was a soft knock on the door and she walked over to open it, grinning when she saw her parents standing there.

"Hey mom, hey dad!" She said, hugging them both tightly. They grinned and hugged her back, before walking inside and looking around,

"Wow Violet! Look at this house!" Her mother exclaimed, looking around excitedly. Violet smiled, closing the door behind them,

"Thanks Mom! It was one of the few houses that we saw, but when we saw it, I fell in love with it you know?" She said and her mother nodded.

"It's really beautiful!" She said, looking around. Violet smiled and took their coats, hanging them up.

"Well, come on, I'll show you around!" They nodded and followed Violet as she gave them a tour of the house.

"Wow Violet, this place is a steal!" Her dad said, and she smiled,

"Yeah, it really was. And they left the washer and dryer, along with the appliances in the kitchen. The sellers left the original beds and couches here, but we moved the original couches to the separate house out back and pitched the beds. We weren't sure of the condition of the beds so we decided to play it safe. Plus Darry managed to get a great deal on the beds." They nodded and Violet made a pot of coffee for them when Darry came home. His truck could be heard pulling up, and Violet grinned. She felt like she had slept the whole day and had barely seen him.

He walked in carrying three boxes of pizza, and smiled at her, kissing her softly.

"Is that your parent's car out front baby?" He whispered against her lips and she nodded, looking into his eyes, her arms resting on his shoulders.

"Yeah, they're in the living room."

"Alright, I'm going to go and bring the pizza to Johnny and Dal alright?" He said, before taking one of the boxes, before shaking Violet's dad's hand then hugging her mom,

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to bring this to the boys alright?" He said, walking outside and down the long backyard to the back of the property where Johnny and Dally lived.

From the front window he could see Johnny watching television, yet he couldn't see Dallas. He knocked on the door before walking in, and Johnny looked up and smiled,

"Hey Darry," He said, before getting up and grabbing his wallet from his coat pocket. Johnny had recently gotten a job at a restaurant closer to their house, and was a bus boy. He was making a little over minimum wage, and helped by paying rent. Yes it was only a small amount each month but it helped to show him responsibility. He handed Darry the money for the pizza and thanked him,

"Thanks Darry," Johnny said and he nodded, looking around.

"Where's Dallas?" Darry asked, and Johnny blushed slightly.

"He's in his room with a girl."

"But, it seems quiet. Was it quiet before?" He asked and Johnny shrugged.

"Yeah, mostly. I think they were talking at first." Johnny said, before Dallas's door opened and he walked out in a pair of jeans, his hair looked like at one point that night it was messy but he at least tried to fix it.

"Hey Darry, thanks for picking up the pizza, man." He said, grabbing a slice and taking a bite. Darry bit the inside of his lip before proceeding with what he was about to say,

"Dal, I thought we agreed no girls here." Darry said and Dallas nodded,

"Yeah man. Don't worry about it. This chick, she ain't like that man." Dallas said and Darry raised his eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" He asked and Dallas shrugged,

"Well, she doesn't know about me. She's from this part of Tulsa and is different from the girls that I'm used to. Her name is Shay." He said and Darry nodded, a small smirk growing on his face.

"Is Dallas Winston thinking of settling down with a girl?" He teased and Dallas glared at him.

"You shut the fuck up man." He said before grabbing another slice and walking back into his room. Darry said goodnight to Johnny and walked back to the house, and was greeting by the sound of laughter. He loved Violet's laugh. To him, her laugh was like gold. He loved it when she was so happy and would laugh so hard her stomach would hurt.

"Hailey what are you doing?!" Violet exclaimed, trying to scold her daughter, but it clearly wasn't working. He walked into the kitchen to see Hailey smearing tomato sauce all over her face. He laughed and watched as Violet took a picture of it with their new camera. He saw that over in the living room Ponyboy and Lexi were cuddled into each other watching a late night horror movie, Scout squished in their embrace with her head tucked behind Pony's arm.

"Hey babe. I saved you some pizza from dough head over there," Violet said grinning while Pony rolled his eyes but returned the grin as well.

"Thanks Vi; how was your nap?"

"It was great babe; thanks for letting me take a nap. I know that you're always up, so tomorrow is your day to go and take a nap." She said, leaning up for a kiss. Darry met her lips for a quick kiss before Violet's mother pulled their attention away from each other.

"Alright! It's time for presents!" She said, getting up with her husband and walking out to the car, coming back in with an armful of presents each.

"Mom… What is all of this?" She asked and her mother just grinned,

"Well, we missed Christmas last year so we want to make up for it! There should be presents for all of you," She said smiling, but then she looked at Lexi, "Oh dear… I didn't get you anything…"

However Lexi looked surprised and shook her head, "Oh, don't worry about it." She said, giving them a genuine smile. Darry assumed that Darrel was having his nap. Pony wrapped his arm around Lexi's shoulders and smiled,

"You can help me open mine." He whispered into her hair and she grinned, nodding.

Violet, Darry, and Ponyboy started to open their presents, and discovered that as well as clothes and things for the house, there were more personal items too.

For example, Darry got a jersey for his favorite team, while Ponyboy got all of his favorite books and a few small knickknacks that he would like. Violet received some nice jewelry and a few nice quality dresses. Hailey and Darrel both got toys and some new one pieces.

After a few more hours of visiting Ponyboy and Lexi called it a night and they headed upstairs. Thankfully Darry had agreed to let Lexi stay the night as long as the door remained open. Since Darry and Violet would be up once or twice during the night anyways to feed Darrel they didn't think it would be a problem.

"Hey Pone, can I borrow one of your shirts please?" Lexi asked and Pony nodded, pulling off his sweatshirt.

"Yeah, they're the second drawer in my dresser." He said, pulling his jeans off and folding them, placing them in his closet. Lexi turned her back to Pony and took her shirt off, then unclasped her bra. She pulled his navy blue shirt over her head and then lay on Pony's bed.

He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and pulled the covers back, getting in beside Lexi, and then turned the lights off. He moved to he was spooning her from behind and wrapped his arm around her middle.

"Hey Lex?" He said softly. She turned so she was facing him, liking the fact that they were so close that when he exhaled, he moved random strands of her hair.

"Yeah?" She asked quietly and Pony bit his lip,

"Where do you see us in…? Ten years?" He asked, and Lexi licked her lips, looking at Pony and smiled,

"Well… Living in a house of our own… Married and finished school obviously. Maybe have one child and another on the way?" She said, and he smiled, pulling her closer to him. "Where do you see us in ten years?" She asked and Pony grinned,

"Exactly the same as you baby." He said, kissing her softly.

"How many kids do you want?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I always thought at least three… Maybe four you know? The idea of a big family has always been in my mind. I always liked the feeling of all of us crowding the table at dinner and the nice warm buzz that was there." He said and Lexi nodded.

"Alright." She said quietly and Pony looked down at her.

"Well, how many kids did you want?" He asked and she shrugged,

"I never really thought about it… But at least two." She said and Pony nodded, kissing her head.

"Alright," He said, before whispering 'I love you' into her ear and closing his eyes, falling asleep to the idea of spending the rest of his life like this; with Lexi in his arms.

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><p><strong>Big thanks to GreaserGirlie for her review on the previous chapter!<strong>

**I posted a new story based on Chapter 32 with Steve and Evie, go check it out! **

**And thanks to Delgados for their review on almost every chapter! To answer your question, in my fanfic Two-bit's little sister Lucy is about 5 years old :)**


	34. Knight in Shining Armour

Dallas sat around the house while Johnny was at work. He was bored out of his mind, and didn't know what to do. The thought of this new girl, Shay, was on his mind. She didn't know of his police record, and she didn't know that he used to use girls for his pleasure. Her hair was a dark blonde, almost brown. She had large green eyes and a kind heart. He could already tell she hated any sort of violence, while he loved it. They were opposites but he wanted it to work.

Johnny stopped in at the main house and said hello to Violet and Pony on his way back to his house, talking to Violet about his day and how she was dealing. When he arrived home he found Dally sitting on the couch, watching a soap opera on the television.

"Hey Dal," He said, before taking his jacket off and placing his wallet on the shelf by the door. "You surprise me sometimes you know that?" He said in regards to the soap opera. Dally only rolled his eyes and looked over at him.

"Shut up." Johnny just rolled his eyes and went to the cupboards to see what there was to start for dinner.

"Have you been in that spot all day?" He asked, but sighed quietly when he didn't get an answer. Deciding to settle for silence, he continued to make pork chops and potatoes while Dallas sat in the quiet. Every once in a while a desperate scream or surprised gasp from the television, and when Johnny took a seat in the living room with a plate full of food, Dallas got up and made himself a plate. Still continuing the silence, Johnny changed the channel to the news, something he had gotten addicted too since he had a television to himself.

Dallas took a seat beside him and sighed when he saw the news was on, "Jesus, again Johnny?" Johnny saw an opportunity, seeing as he could catch the news at eleven.

"Tell me what's got you so bent out of shape thinking, and I'll change the channel." However Dallas wasn't about to share his feelings, so he let it slide. He knew that Johnny wasn't the type to push, but he didn't know that today wasn't one of those days, "Seriously Dal, is this about that girl you brought home?"

The elder boy sighed, "Dunno. Could be, I guess," He said, before figuring he might as well tell the young boy, "She's different than all the girls from town… She makes me think about a future you know? Like… Like this world ain't actually full of shit." Feeling the smile grow on his friends face, and rolled his eyes, "Shut your trap Johnny Cade, don't you mock me."

"Dal I ain't going to mock you. If you like this girl and she makes you think about the future, chances are you have strong feelings towards her. Like, you're in love with her," Johnny said, "And don't you deny-"

"What do you know about _love _Cade?" Dallas said sharply. Heaving an exasperated sigh, Johnny rolled his eyes.

"You are so damn difficult." He said, before getting up and retreating to the kitchen. The phone rang and Dallas reached for it, before saying gruffly,

"Yeah?" He heard a giggle and he instantly grinned.

"Hey Dallas…" He heard her soft voice say.

"Shay, baby, what are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing I think, I finished all of my homework so I was planning to see what was on the television. Why?"

"Well, you know, I was wondering if you wanted to come over for the night again." She was quiet for a few moments before he could practically hear the grin in her voice,

"Yeah, I'd like that. I'll be over in a few minutes okay?" She said before hanging up. Since she lived with her parents and four younger siblings she didn't often get privacy. Unfortunately he knew that if whatever this was continued he knew he would have to meet her parents, and to be honest, Dallas Winston and parents never got along at all.

A few minutes later there was a soft knock on the door and Dally called out, "It's open!"

Shay walked in, wearing a pair of pajama pants and a tight sweatshirt. Secretly, Dallas liked the fact that she could dress like that around him. Sylvia always dressed like a whore no matter the time of night. Lazily getting up and walking over to her, he placed a firm grasp on her hips and kissed her. She responded like he would have expected and it pleased him, by kissing him back and stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"Whoa," Johnny said, holding a bowl of ice cream and wide eyed. Shay smiled at him and he nodded at her before sitting on the couch and turning the news back on, trying to catch the remains of the news feed.

Leading Shay to his room, he lay beside Shay and started to kiss her. She grinned and kissed him back, and this continued for a few more minutes until she started to push him away gently. Surprisingly he obeyed her request and lay back, while she moved to rest her head on his chest.

"Look, I know that you're… You're expecting a whole lot from me, like I'm some knight in shining armour. But uh… I ain't. I ain't a knight in shining armour… Hell I'm the robber. And I wanted to tell you that because you… you make me feel different Shay. You make me happy all the time… and uh… I don't mind waiting around for you until you're ready."

"Dal, I know that you're not a knight. I can tell by the way you talk and the way you act that you aren't like the boys I'm used to. My uncle is a cop and I've heard all about you, but none of that matters to me okay? I'm taking a chance… I've always found bad boys appealing." Feeling the chuckle rumble through his chest she closed her eyes, willing herself not to get used to this feeling, however she wanted to so badly.

"Why don't you just move in here sweet cheeks?" He asked after a little while, and he thought that she had fallen asleep when she didn't answer right away.

"Would I be allowed?" She asked quietly, looking up at him with drowsy eyes, before he smiled and turned the light off,

"Go to bed, will ya Shay? Before you pass out or something."

Yet, once the room was cloaked in darkness, he reached down and kissed her forehead before shifting to get comfortable.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to: <strong>

**~GreaserGirlie**

**~Delgados**

**~milou03**

**for their reviews on recent chapters**


	35. Bye Bye Love

Pony sighed as he heard Darry and Violet fighting again. He knew that they usually tried to keep it quiet for Hailey's sake but lately it hadn't been that way. He sighed and walked into Hailey's playroom that was just off from the kitchen and saw her sitting and holding her stuffed bear.

"Hey Hail… Did you want to go and visit Uncle Johnny and Dally?" He asked, picking her up and rubbing her back. She nodded and Pony smiled, kissing her head and walking out the back door, avoiding Darry and Violet that were arguing in the living room. Scout followed Pony out of the house and the short walk over to the house at the back of the property and knocked on the door before walking in. He saw Johnny walking out of the bathroom wearing only a towel and he smirked, putting Hailey on the couch. Johnny nodded at him,

"Hey man," before walking into his room and coming out in a pair of pajama pants, pulling on a black shirt. Pony flinched when he saw the scars from the accident, having almost forgotten about that day. "What's going on?" He said, smiling at Hailey. She grinned in return and giggled, waving at him.

"Darry and Violet are fighting again, and I didn't want Hailey to stay around while they did." Pony said softly, and Johnny sighed, walking into the kitchen and coming back out with a plate of cheese and a bowl of crackers. He set it on the coffee table and let Hailey have some.

"You know, they seem to be fighting a lot lately Pone." Johnny said softly and his friend sighed nodding,

"Yeah I know. I think they're both just irritable from lack of sleep with Darrel and well… I guess Violet's not happy that Darry is working more than he used too." Johnny nodded and took a piece of cheese, sitting beside Hailey. Pony turned the television on and sat with the two until the front door opened. The two looked up to see Violet standing there, her eyes red and puffy. She sniffled and walked over to Hailey, picking her up and walking out quickly. Pony looked at Johnny surprised and the two shared a look before getting up and walking to the main house, where they saw Darry angrily chopping wood.

"Darry?" Pony asked softly and he stopped, looking over. Pony noticed the two empty cans of beer and thought that Darry probably chugged them back once Violet had left the argument.

"What?" He asked sharply and Pony swallowed hard, looking over at Johnny. Scout ran over and sat obediently beside Pony and Darry looked at the small puppy.

"Violet left me. She took the kids and left. Said she wanted a break or something." He said gruffly, reaching for another can of beer sitting in the grass.

"Darry… A break doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing," Johnny tried softly but Darry shook his head.

"I fucked up. I fucked it all up." He said, letting out a deep breath and dropping the axe by his foot.

* * *

><p>Violet drove to her parents' house, located in the heart of Tulsa teary eyed the whole way. She saw her mom just getting out of her car and walking to the trunk to grab groceries, looking over when Violet pulled up. She put the bag back down and walked over to Violet's truck, taking Hailey.<p>

"What's going on Violet?" She asked worriedly, moving some of Hailey's hair out of her face.

"I… I left Darry. We're taking a break for now Mom," Violet said quietly, watching as Darrel moved around in her arms.

"Honey, why? What happened?" She asked softly, placing a hand on Violet's back and leading her into the house.

"He's just been… Working so much more than he said he would and he's just been so moody lately. I just don't understand why he's working so much. He's always "at the office" now and his job is to work from home. He's always irritable and we're not short on money, so I decided maybe a break would be good for us. It was wearing us down and it was wearing everyone else down that were around us." Her mother nodded understandingly.

"Alright honey, you and the kids are welcome to stay here okay?" Her mother said and she nodded gratefully, and her mother took Hailey into the spare bedroom and laid her down on the bed, tucking her in. She came back out to see Violet bouncing Darrel lightly. Her mother smiled lightly,

"We only have a twin size bed in the spare room right now honey," Violet smiled and shook her head,

"That's alright; I can stay on the couch. As long as Hailey has a bed it doesn't matter to me."

"I'll pick up a crib for Darrel tomorrow okay?" She said softly and Violet nodded, hugging her mom.

"Thanks Mom… Hopefully we won't be here long. I'm going to call Maryann tonight and let her know I'll be going into work tomorrow…"

"Alright, I'll watch the kids for you okay?" She offered and Violet nodded,

"Thanks mom, that's perfect. I need to go home and grab some of my clothes tonight or tomorrow." Her mom nodded and walked into the kitchen to start to prepare dinner. Violet walked out to the front porch on her mother's house and took a seat on the porch swing, rubbing her son's back as he slept against her. She watched as cars drove by, mothers and fathers walked with their young children, teenagers walked by with their dogs.

She saw a familiar face walk by and she waved when she saw Shay smile at her. Violet waved smiling and stood up, walking over to Shay when she saw the girl stop.

"Hello Shay, I didn't know you came to this part of town." Violet said and Shay smiled,

"Yeah, I came into town with my dad this morning and I went to school."

"School? Dallas never mentioned anything about school?" She said and Shay nodded smiling,

"Yeah, I go to Oklahoma University. I'm in my first year for engineering." Violet went wide eyed.

"Wow! That's awesome!" Shay nodded and the two continued to talk small talk, until Shay mentioned that her father was the chief of police in Tulsa.

"He's… chief of police?" Violet questioned and she nodded to confirm.

"Yes, he's been the chief for almost twenty years now."

"So I'm guessing he knows all about Dallas?" Shay sighed and nodded,

"Yes… He does. I know all about his police record and everything the police know I know. But I didn't let him know that because to me, none of that matters to me. I don't care about his record… Because I know that isn't him. The way he acts is clear to me, he's got a reason behind everything he does and I can find a decent one that I believe. Since I've been with Dallas he hasn't been thrown back into jail, and he hasn't been convicted of any crimes." Shay said, smiling dreamily.

Violet smiled at her, noting her dreamy smile, "You really like him, don't you?" Shay nodded, shifting her bag that was sitting on her shoulders,

"Well, if you haven't figured out, Dallas isn't the type that will share his feelings easily. I've known him for a little while and I know he is a good man. I know that if you treat him with respect and don't go around behind his back, he'll try his best to do the same for you." Shay nodded and said goodbye as the bus started to approach them. Violet turned and watched her run across the street and climb on the bus, and she waved at her once the bus drove away.

However when the bus rolled away, she noticed a figure standing there, jeans and a dark tee shirt was what he was wearing, and he had a tribal tattoo on his bicep, half visible under the sleeve.

"K-Kessler." Violet whispered fearfully.


	36. Heartache

_However when the bus rolled away, she noticed a figure standing there, jeans and a dark tee shirt was what he was wearing, and he had a tribal tattoo on his bicep, half visible under the sleeve. _

"_K-Kessler." Violet whispered fearfully._

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><p>He walked across the street and took her hand in his, pulling her against him and he kissed her, passionately. He held her close to him and wrapped a hand around her waist, holding her tightly in place. If Violet hadn't had been feeling vulnerable and confused, she would have fought him off. In her state of shock and her state of weakness she let him kiss her. She let him run his hands up and down her back, like she used to dream of when she was a teenager.<p>

Kessler came to his senses first, and she looked at him, noticing a calm look in his eyes for the first time since she chose Darry over him. "I want custody over Hailey. I want to see her and be in her life. That's all I want, that's all I've been after."

"Kessler… That's… That's not all you were after. Why, after all of this time of trying to kill me, would you come to me calm and this is all you want? Why didn't you just do this in the first place?" She asked calmly, trying to keep the accusing tone out of her voice.

"Because Darry is out of the picture, and I can get you back." Violet took a step back,

"Darry isn't out of the picture now. He's at home. And you will not be getting custody with Hailey, not after everything you've put me through." She said, before turning her back and walking back into the house. Her mother looked over at her from the small kitchen window, she was burping Darrel.

"Who was that dear? He doesn't look to happy…" She started and Violet shook her head.

"Hailey's father and he wants custody. But he's put Hailey and I through a lot, and he doesn't deserve custody." She said softly, taking her son back from her mother and rubbing his back. Her mother only nodded and went back to making dinner.

Violet walked out into the backyard, sitting on one of the lawn chairs and watched the clouds as they rolled over, her son sleeping soundly on her shoulder. Her eyes closed as she felt the exhaustion creep into her system. She nodded at her mom as she began to doze off, her mother saying something along the lines of, _she was going to the grocery store quickly and would be back soon._ Violet dozed off, the feeling of the warmth from her son and his small heartbeat against her shoulder lulled her to sleep, and she didn't awake for what felt like hours. And when she did, she felt cold and noticed the sun had already set and it was later in the evening. She stood up, and Darrel squirmed a little bit once he had been moved to a more comfortable position for Violet.

"Violet, honey, dinner's ready!" Her mother called from inside the house, and Violet walked up the small stairs and opened the back door, walking through the living room and into the small kitchen, sitting Darrel in her lap once she was seated. Her father smiled at the two and reached to get Darrel,

"There's my little man!" He said, holding him up before kissing his head, sitting him in his lap and started to eat the spaghetti.

"I'm going to go see if Hailey is up," Violet said, before walking down to the spare room. She reached for the door handle, and slowly opened it. Reaching to flick the light switch she hoped her daughter had slept somewhat. However she wasn't prepared for the sight before her, and she screamed. This was the worst of her fears, walking into her daughter's room to find an_ empty bed._

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><p>Darry hadn't gotten out of bed the whole day. He drank what beer was left in the fridge, and simply went and lay in bed, with the door closed and the curtains drawn shut. He knew what this ache in his chest was; he knew that this was what heart break felt like. He hadn't felt this feeling before and hoped no one ever went through it again. Many dark thoughts went through his head at that time, and he didn't care about having to be there for his brothers, for the gang. He wanted his fiancée and his children back. Having them all leave at once made it almost unbearable and Darry just wanted the pain to stop. Soon after laying down and thinking these thoughts, the tears began to run down his face. Only moments later, it seemed that the sobbing came, and he cried for what felt like hours into his pillow.<p>

His sorrows drowned the sound of his bedroom door opening, and when his youngest brother sat on the bed in front of him, he was embarrassed, but when his younger brother pulled him into his embrace and held him tightly, he started to cry again. As much as he didn't want to admit it he needed his brother's strong embrace, reminding him that he couldn't go. That he was still needed here, still wanted.

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><p>Ponyboy sat downstairs in the small office working on his essay. This is his final copy and it was due over the Easter break. He sighed and sat back in the chair, tapping his pencil against his paper in an annoyed fashion. This paper was on the life of Abraham Lincoln, and if he was in turn, the best president the American's have had. He was pro, he loved Abraham Lincoln. But that wasn't what was bothering him; it was the quietness of the household. Scout slept soundly on the dog bed in the study, but there wasn't any tiny footsteps padding around as Violet and Hailey or Darry and Hailey played with each other. At first he figured his brother had gone for a nap, but once he had seen the number of beer bottles sitting on the table he knew otherwise and his imagination was driving him crazy with the amount of different things that Darry could be doing. Attempting suicide was the first and most predominant on his mind.<p>

Sobbing was what brought him out of his thoughts and he knew that Darry needed a shoulder to cry on, someone to let him know he's not lost everything.

"Scout, come on girl." He said, patting his leg. He picked her up as she yawned sleepily and walked upstairs into his brother's room and he felt his heart yearn for his oldest brother, this being the second time that he was heartbroken over this girl, the third time he was crying his heart out. He placed Scout on the bed and sat beside Darry, pulling him into his arms.

"It's okay Dar… It's okay… You're going to get her back… It's alright… It's going to work out alright? Everything will get better…" He said softly, and things of the likeness until his brother had calmed down enough to fall asleep without hiccupping every other second. He hoped that he never went through this with Lexi, because if his brother-the strongest person he knew- was this broken, he didn't know how he would handle it.

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><p><strong>Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And big shout out to GreaserGirlie who got her wisdom teeth pulled today, feel better! <strong>


	37. Missing

"You're telling me, that your daughter was kidnapped from her bedroom?" The officer asked, as she sat behind the desk. Violet nodded, holding Darry in her arms tightly, trying not to cry. "And you think her father… Took her?" She asked again and again Violet nodded. She already told her everything she knew, and she was tired of the lady officer doubting her.

"P-Please… She's my baby girl. She's almost fourteen months and she's probably really scared… She doesn't know that man as her father… You need to get her back." The woman nodded and took the rest of the information down, and Violet walked out of the police station. Her tears that were threatening to fall began to run down her face. The staff sergeant assured her that they would do everything they could to get her back. They would definitely keep her in the know, he said. If they followed through, she'd see. Hailey was only a baby.

She went home and sat on the couch in her parents' house and let her tears fall. With Darrel in his baby carrier she sat and cried, and cried until her mother came home from shopping. Once her mother saw her crying she practically dropped her bags and ran over to Violet,

"Honey! What's wrong?" She asked, fearing that the worst had happened.

"S-She's only a baby mom! S-she's my b-baby and h-her father wants to h-hurt her!" She sobbed and her mother held her tightly.

"Shh, Violet they'll find her. Okay? They're going to get her back, her father won't hurt her." She tried to reason with her daughter. She couldn't imagine the pain she was going through; losing a child she knew the pain, when she lost Violet's older brother that faithful night so long ago. But she had closure; she knew her son was dead. She couldn't begin to fathom the feeling of not having closure, having someone kidnap your own child and not give them any whereabouts must be one of the hardest things a parent would ever face, she thought. She let Violet cry, she let her daughter let out all of the emotions she had been faced with within the last few months.

When her husband came home, Violet was asleep on the couch, holding Darrel in her arms protectively. He sighed and kissed his wife's forehead.

"Have you heard from Jason honey?" He asked and his wife shook his head.

"You know Jay… Probably with his gang." She tried to reason, but her husband shook his head.

"I asked some of the boys, they stopped by the shop today. They asked us if we had seen him, he wasn't at the motel or at the factory where most of his boys sleep." Violet's mother sighed, knowing they couldn't take much more of this until their family began to fall apart.

"I'll notify the police… Hopefully we can get both of them found."

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><p>Jay woke up in a basement, or at least he thought. It was cold, and moist. His skin felt sticky, but he was tied to a chair. His back ached from sitting for hours unknown awkwardly in a chair. He coughed a few times and felt blinded when a light was shined in his face.<p>

"_Well well well, what do we have here? Jason isn't so tough anymore!" _A voice taunted, and he squinted, wondering who that voice belonged to. It sounded so familiar but he couldn't place it. He heard two sets of laughter and wondered who else was there.

"_Look at how _weak _he looks!" _The other voice exclaimed. He grimaced, knowing he at least had a few broken ribs. He heard a chuckle and at that moment it clicked who it was.

"Kessler…" He said and the voice laughed.

"_It's about time that you caught on. If you're as smart as everyone says you are, you should have caught on a while ago. Let's see how long it takes for you to figure out who's here with us." _Kessler taunted and Jason squinted through the bright light and saw the round face of his sister's best friend, Cam.

"C-Cam?" He questioned and Cam stepped forward. He smirked and clapped his hands loudly to affect the small headache coming on. Jay flinched at the loud noise and both men chuckled.

"You're not going to make it out of here alive Jason. You or Hailey. Speaking of Hailey, Cam take her upstairs and call Darrel Curtis. Make him worried, I know Violet hasn't told him anything yet." Cam obeyed and walked out, and Kessler walked over, crouching in front of Jay,

"Once I'm through with all of this, you're going to wish that you were dead. You're going to _beg_ for death by the time I'm done with you. And I'm going to make you and Violet suffer for all that you've done to me."

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><p>Darry was working from the office, working on his presentation that he had to have completed by the end of the week. He couldn't think much, thoughts of Violet had kept drifting back into his mind. He had covered most of the pictures he had in the office so he wouldn't be distracted; but it helped little. Thoughts of his fiancée and children were already floating in his mind nonstop.<p>

Ponyboy came in afterschool, he took the bus home. Scout greeted him eagerly and Pony picked her up; she was already getting big.

"Hey Dar!" He called, hearing his brother in the office. Darry waited for his brother to come around the corner and into the office, sitting in his desk that was opposite to Darry's. This is where his youngest brother worked, and sometimes helped Darry do his own work.

"Hey Pone, how was school?"

"Alright. I got my law test back, and I got a ninety three. I messed up on the opinion piece; Mr. Jackson said my arguments weren't strong enough." He said, walking over to Darry and handing him the test. Darry signed it and patted his brother's shoulder.

"Nice job kiddo." One thing Violet helped Darry do was be more positive towards Pony, and he wasn't going to drop that now that Violet wasn't around.

The phone rang from its cradle beside Darry's desk, and he reached over to answer it,

"Hello?" But the line was silent. "Violet?" He asked, wondering if she chickened out once she heard his voice. But she didn't answer, and what he heard made Darry sick to his stomach.

"D-Dada…" He heard his daughter's voice ring out through the phone. She sounded upset and he wondered how in the world his daughter managed to call him.

"Hailey? Baby, what's going on? Daddy's right here…" He said, trying to calm her down. The tone of her voice told him how scared she was, and it made Darry sick.

"Dada!" Hailey screamed, and Darry stood up angrily, realizing someone was hurting his daughter.

"Hailey! Daddy's right here! It's okay!" But then, the phone went dead. Darry held the phone there, his eyes closed, trying not to picture what was happening to his little girl. Just over a year old, nothing should be happening. She was only a baby.

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><p><strong>Big thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters and to everyone who has read it or favoritedfollowed! **

**Unfortunately****, this story is coming to an end and I'm not sure if there will be a sequel. **

**Please VOTE on the poll on my page and let me know what you think!**


	38. Letters & The Truth

**So, as many of you know this story is coming to an end. At this time I'm sure there will be two, maybe three more chapters before this story is complete. There will be a sequel, I've already started working out the plan for that story. Please don't forget to leave me a review!**

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><p>"Violet what the hell is going on?!" Darry yelled once his ex-fiancée picked up the phone. He didn't give her a chance to speak before yelling again, "Where the fuck is Hailey?!" He heard Violet take a shaky breath and he knew that she had been crying. Almost instantly he felt bad for yelling at her but he wanted to know what was going on.<p>

"S-someone took h-her Darry…" He heard her start to cry again, and he swallowed hard, still worried.

"How could you let that happen Violet?" He asked; his voice hard.

"I-I don't know! T-They came into the h-house while I was asleep and t-took her f-from h-her bedroom!"

"I… Where are you?" He asked, wanting nothing more to hug her tightly and work with her to find out where their daughter was.

"I'm at my parents' house… It's down the road from Sodapop's place." She said quietly and Darry quickly hung up, driving there. Once he reached her house he opened the door and saw Violet sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. He could tell that she had been crying and no doubt been a mess since Hailey had been taken.

She looked up at him and immediately felt herself get upset again, her chin wobbling and her eyes filling with tears. Darry walked over to her and hugged her tightly, pulling her up so he could hug her fully.

"I-I'm s-so sorry D-Darry…" She sobbed and he hugged her even tighter if that was possible.

"It's my entire fault," Darry whispered. Violet pulled back and shook her head,

"Darry none of this is your fault!" She exclaimed and Darry shook his head.

* * *

><p>"<em>Man, how are we gonna do this?" <em>

"_Just go along with it. Trust me, it's all gonna work out. Now, go and get the tools and meet me in the basement." _

"_Sure thing." _

"_I'm making the call now, everything will be in order soon after." _

_Cam walked downstairs to where Jay was sitting, and grinned wickedly. _

"_What the hell man?" Jay asked quietly, wondering what he had ever done to make Cam this angry towards him. _

"_You don't understand what's going on man," _He said quietly, getting out a metal rod before placing in the fire place to warm up, _"He doesn't care who gets in his way, he'll kill everyone. He was going to kill me too, and hell what he did to me was worse than that. But I _loved_ it. You'll never understand the way I feel about Kessler." _He said, before pulling the metal out of the fire and pressing it to Jay's back. He had never felt so much pain, and he fought hard to keep his tears from falling. This pain continued on for hours and Jay willed it to stop. He wanted nothing more than to die and be done with the pain. Just when he thought it was over, more footsteps came down the stairs, and that's when the beating started.

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><p>Darry sat holding Violet in his arms, mentally kicking himself for letting her go. The phone rang and he reached for it, pulling it to his ear,<p>

"Hello?" He heard heavy breathing and wasn't sure who was there, "Hello? Who's there?"

"_Hello Darrel," _He heard someone say lazily and it made his skin crawl. "_I think it's time we make a deal." _

"What kind of deal?" Darry asked. He hoped to keep his voice steady and keep the nerves out of his voice.

"_A deal that will save Hailey's life and end yours." _The voice said, and Darry carefully moved Violet out of his arms, unaware that he woke her up.

"Where should I meet you?" Darry asked, standing up to look out the window. He'd do anything to get her back.

"_How about that old house on East Side Road?" _

"The one with the blue siding, yes I know it. What time?"

"_How about sun down?" _Darry nodded and sighed, hanging up the phone. He wrapped his arms around Violet before falling asleep, waking up around dinner time. Darry took the time to write a letter explaining this to his brothers and to Violet.

_Dear Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Violet,_

_ I don't expect you to understand why I've done this, but Hailey is only a baby. Even though she isn't mine, she'll always be my daughter. I love her like my own and I won't take any chance in saving her life. Ponyboy, Sodapop will take care of you. Please, continue to work hard and earn yourself a scholarship. You're going places in life kiddo, don't let anyone stop you. Sodapop, little buddy, follow your heart and be yourself. Don't work yourself to thin, and take care of yourself. I love you both. My dearest Violet, I love you more than anyone will ever know. You, Hailey, and DJ are some of the best things that ever happened to me. You've proved to me over these last few days that you can make it without me. Once you get Hailey back, I want you to tell her when she's older about me. Let her know I loved her and I'm sorry that I'm not there for her, but not sorry I exchanged my life for hers. _

_ I'll tell Mom & Dad about everything once I meet them. I know they're waiting for me and I hope my death will be quick. I know they're proud of the both of you kiddos. You boys gotta take care of the gang, keep everyone together. Make sure everyone stays in touch, we are brothers after all. _

_ When planning my funeral, don't cry. Don't be sad you lost me, for you gained back an angel. I will watch over all of you, make sure nothing bad happens. Tell my son, that his dad loves him so much. Tell him not to be angry with me once you've told him Vi, for if I was still there he would never know Hailey, and never have an older sister. _

_ With Love, _

_ Darry Curtis._

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><p><strong>Much thanks to: <strong>

**GreaserGirlie**

**milou03**

**Musiclover24**

**Delgados**

**for thier reviews on the previous chapter! They are very much appreciated!**


	39. How to Save a Life

**So at this point, there will only be one or two more chapters. Thanks to everyone who read, and I'm sad that this story is coming to an end. It's been so much fun writing this and I'm glad some of you love this story as well as I. The sequel is under way, but I am not sure how it will be done. **

**At the moment I'm thinking with the children but let me know what you think about that!**

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><p>Darry walked towards the blue house, his hands in his pockets. He was nervous and scared but it was all for a good reason. He had to make sure that Hailey was safe. Knocking on the door sounded loud and intense, yet he knocked softly.<p>

He went wide eyed; dumbfounded that it was Kessler that opened the door. Part of him knew it would be Kessler, yet he couldn't accept it. Kessler grinned wickedly and opened the door wider. Darry stepped in, and immediately the stench of burnt skin and blood filled his nostrils, and he gagged. Kessler grinned in satisfaction and walked Darry downstairs to where the stench was so strong; Darry had to concentrate hard on not throwing up.

"Where… Is Hailey?" He asked, hoping to get his urge to vomit under control.

"She's right here," Kessler said, leading Darry into a room that was to the right of the room that smelt disgusting. The room was pink, with butterflies and princesses everywhere, and her room was set up exactly how it was at his house. This made him sick, mentally. It meant Kessler had been stalking them while they had no idea. Hailey was sitting in her crib, playing with a bear identical to the one Darry had given her so long ago.

She looked up and grinned when she saw Darry, her face lighting up in pure joy. "Dada!" She exclaimed, dropping the teddy and reaching for him, and Darry picked her up and held her tightly.

"Oh baby… Daddy loves you… Daddy missed you so so much…" He said, kissing her head and hugging her tightly. However his relief was short lived, when Kessler took her out of his arms.

"Let's go," he directed, putting Hailey back in her crib. He led Darry to the room next door, and closed the door behind them. Once Darry heard the door lock, the lights flipped on and what Darry saw next was something that would forever be etched into his brain.

Jay was sitting in a chair tied down, but if it wasn't for the tattoo on his chest Darry wouldn't have recognized him. His face was swollen and different shades of purple and blue, his nose crooked and severely swollen, and the rest of his body was covered with open wounds that had a green substance leaking out of them.

Kessler grinned wickedly and pushed Darry onto the floor, and Cameron walked over, holding a metal rod. Cameron grinned and captured Kessler's mouth in a passionate kiss before handing the rod to Kessler.

"Have some fun," He said, before walking over to the other side of the room and moving some things around. Darry swallowed hard and watched as Kessler slowly turned the metal rod in his hand before gripping it tightly and swinging it so it came across Darry's chest. Darry tried his best to keep from making noise while Kessler continued to hit him with the rod. He knew his pain would come to an end soon, and he hoped it was sooner rather than later.

After hours of enduring the abuse, Kessler finally stopped. Darry lay on the floor, floating in and out of consciousness, until he heard a grunt and a whine coming from Jay.

He glanced over and saw Jay looking around, before he noticed Darry. He noticed that his jaw was swollen and most likely broken. His eyes told Darry that he wasn't going to last much longer, and Darry hoped for Jay's sake that his end came soon or someone would find them. He closed his eyes and let his head rest against the floor. His body was covered in numerous different spots that were soaked in warm sticky blood, yet he was freezing. He eventually fell asleep and was awoken when the lights were flicked on and off and he felt a sharp kick to his side.

"Get up," Kessler growled and yanked Darry up, dragging him closer to where he saw Cameron earlier. They sat him in a chair and Kessler and taped his hands and legs to the chair, cutting his shirt off.

"Cameron get the rod warming. We don't have much time." Kessler said hurriedly, and he tied a blindfold over Darry's eyes. What came next is something that would haunt Darry's dreams, and something that would always be on his body. He let out a strangled cry when the rod was pressed against his chest, and the skin hissed before burning. Darry couldn't stay awake after the third time it was pressed to his back.

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><p>"No activity," A voice reported, and the sergeant nodded.<p>

"Alright. Snow, Higgins, Denver, and Collins take the front door. Swarek, Smith, Johnson take the back door. We look for the toddler first, and get her out safely. Radio when you've found Darrel Curtis and Jason Hayes." The teams nodded and went in, kicking the door down as they did so. Violet stood holding Sodapop and Ponyboy's hands tightly, hoping they weren't too late. Since reading the letters her tears hadn't stopped falling and she just wanted her daughter and her fiancé to be okay.

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><p>Darry heard shouting suddenly and gun shots, and then all was quiet. His ears were ringing and he couldn't hear anything for a long time. The tape was cut off and the blind fold was taken off and he looked around, his vision blurry from the pain. He saw police officers directing paramedics, and he took a deep breath, (or a shallow one since most of Darry's ribs were broken.)<p>

"H-Hail…" He said, trailing off. The young office looked at Darry and immediately understood,

"Your daughter is perfectly okay sir. She's upstairs with her mother, alright?" Darry nodded once before passing out.

Violet held Hailey tightly and waited with Pony and Soda until they brought Darry up on a stretcher. When they saw how bad Darry was, Pony turned away and threw up. Sodapop felt tears running down his face, and he walked over to rub Ponyboy's back. Violet took Hailey and quickly followed the paramedics and got in, knowing that Sodapop and Pony would find a ride down, most likely a police car.

The paramedic began compressions while the other drove and he began to ask Violet about Darry's medical history.

"He has no allergies." She said shakily and the paramedic nodded, putting an IV in his arm. When they pulled up to the hospital they rushed Darry right into the emergency room, and Violet was left standing outside the doors as they slowly stopped swinging.

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><p><strong>Big thanks to:<strong>

**Delgados **

**milou03**

**for their reviews on chapter 38! **

**And big thanks to everyone that read!**


	40. Baby Blues

**Please take the time to vote on my poll, it regards the sequel and I'd like feeed back please! There will be two more chapters after this and then I promise I'm finished with this story! **

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><p>Two weeks later Violet sat in Darry's hospital room, reading him the news, thanking God Kessler was finally dead. Hailey was sleeping on one side of Darry while Darrel slept in Violet's arms. After his surgery to repair internal injuries, Darry had slipped into a coma; as the doctor's predicted. However his vitals are steadily improving and the doctors had told Violet that he should be awake soon. She folded the newspaper once she finished reading it and kissed Darry's head,<p>

"I'll be right back baby," She whispered, picking Darrel up and walking out to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. She walked into the elevator, rubbing Darrel's back as he slept soundly on her shoulder, leaning to kiss his head. His skin was so soft and she felt like she was in love all over again. When she reached the third floor the elevator stopped. She looked up and grinned when she saw Shay and Dally walk in, but she noticed the two of them weren't as friendly as they had been in the last few weeks. Most of the gang did shifts with Violet to stay with Darry, and when Dallas and Shay did a "shift" they were both happy and grinning at the time.

"Hey guys," Violet said and Shay looked over and smiled lightly,

"Violet, hey! How's Darry doing?"

"He's doing great, the doctor's think he'll be waking up soon." She said and Shay nodded, her eyes softening when she looked at Darrel. At that moment Violet clued in as to why the two were quiet and Shay was in love with her baby. Violet gasped quietly,

"You've got the baby blues don't you?" She asked, and Shay bit her lip grinning. "How far along are you?" Violet exclaimed and Shay grinned,

"Three and a half months." She said a hand resting on her stomach, and her barely there bump. Violet grinned and the elevator opened and Dallas wrapped his arm around Shay's waist. Seeing the weather and how it was raining outside he kissed her head,

"I'm going to go grab the truck okay? I'll be right back beautiful." He said, smiling at Violet before walking out.

"Did you want to hold Darrel?" Violet asked and Shay nodded, carefully taking the still young baby into her arms.

"I just can't help but feel like Dallas doesn't want children." Shay mumbled after a few minutes and Violet's face softened.

"Honey… I think as long as he loves you he'll do anything," She said softly, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder, "He probably doesn't say I love you often but he hasn't grown up in a family of love, just the guys. But by the way he looks at you I know he loves you."

Shay handed Darrel back when she saw Dally pull up in the truck, "Call us when Darry wakes up okay?" Violet nodded and waved, making her way to the cafeteria. She saw her mother and father sitting in the cafeteria with sad looks on their faces.

Unfortunately as her fiancé was steadily improving, her brother was not. When Jay was brought in the doctor's had trouble keeping him alive, and once they got him stable it became clear to the doctors that if Jay managed to pull through he would be paraplegic, and there wouldn't be anything they could do to help. Jay had a long road of recovery until he was out of the woods and he was still touch and go.

"How's Jay?" She asked, sitting beside her dad. He smiled and reached for his grandson, before offering Violet the burger he picked up for her along with fries and a Coke. She smiled in thanks and looked at her mother when she heard her sigh,

"He's not out of the woods yet Violet. He's not getting any better and the doctors are running out of options." She said softly, reaching for Violets hand. The thought of losing another brother made Violet dizzy. Jay was her big brother, the one that was there when no one else was, and the one that would help her when she needed him the most. She couldn't stand the thought of losing him.

"He's going to fight mom." She said, eating her food. Earlier in the day Violet had helped a rather petite nurse help change Darry's hospital gown. She did her best not to gasp or make any noise of surprise when she saw Darry's wounds on his back. Even though they had healed nicely, there was still scar tissue.

"I'm going back upstairs to check on Darry alright?" She said after finishing her food. She kissed each of her parent's heads, before heading upstairs with Darrel in her arms.

She walked down the hall to see all of the greasers sitting there with their girlfriends, all except Johnny. He sat there smiling and watching all of the buddies he's grown to love interact with the girls they all loved. Violet smiled at him sadly, and then walked into Darry's room.

She leaned over the bed and pressed a soft kiss to Darry's forehead. "Sorry I took so long baby…" She whispered, and when she pulled back she was greeted with a pair of bright blue eyes looking at her.

"Violet?" Darry asked hoarsely and she grinned, moving to sit on the side of his bed, lightly stroking his hair.

"Hi baby," She said softly, "How are you feeling?" Darry swallowed hard a few times before nodding,

"Fine," He whispered, and Violet reached for a bottle of water that was on the side table and helped him have a drink. She smiled and just watched him as he took in Darrel sleeping on his left side while Hailey slept on his right side. He smiled down at Hailey and looked back at Violet and noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Violet?" He asked, carefully reaching up and resting a hand on her cheek softly. Violet placed a hand over top his and took a shaky breath,

"T-Thank you…" She whispered, a tear running down her face and it got caught on Darry's hand. Darry pulled her forward carefully and kissed her head, before moving Darrel and Hailey onto his chest so that Violet could lie beside him. She moved carefully so she wouldn't disturb any of their children and rested her head on his chest.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat honey… I love you and I love our children so so much." Darry said, wrapping his arms around her waist carefully. She yawned before falling asleep.

* * *

><p>"Jesus Violet another one?" Darry exclaimed when he saw his soon-to-be wife reading another wedding magazine. Since getting out of the hospital three weeks ago they put a kick start to getting the wedding in motion. Violet had been so happy that Darry agreed to do the wedding and she decided to have Shay, Lexi, Evie, and an old friend Tabitha from California that she had kept in touch with since she moved here.<p>

They heard footsteps coming up the back porch and saw Johnny walk in, holding a small bundle of blankets in his arms. Darry smiled lightly, remembering the night-only a few days ago-when Johnny found out he was a dad-perfectly.

_He was sitting watching late night television when he heard the doorbell ring. He got up and opened the door but saw no one there until he looked down, seeing a bundle of blankets sitting in a basket, an envelope on top on the blankets. Darry carefully picked up the basket and walked into the living room. Violet looked over at him and moved over to the basket, sitting on her knees. Darry picked up the envelop and read, Johnny Cade. Violet gasped when she saw the small baby wrapped tightly in the blankets. _

"_I'm going to call Johnny," Darry said, walking over the phone and dialing the number to the back house. A few minutes later Johnny walked in, in his usual black tee-shirt but since it was late at night he had on a pair of plaid pajama pants. _

"_What's going on?" He asked, walking towards Darry and Violet and the basket. He noticed the baby that Violet was holding and saw a thick head of black hair, and Johnny swallowed hard. _

"_This… This came for you." Darry said, handing him the letter. _

Dear Johnny,

You probably won't remember the night our son was conceived, but for our sons sake I'll tell you my name: Layla Beckett. Your friend Two-bit set us up, and we rented a motel room. I believe the reason behind renting a motel was to rid the both of us of our virginity. We both had some drinks and I would recommend you not drinking a lot as you can't handle alcohol well. I liked you a lot, but for some reason once everything was finished and I lay in your arms, you whispered three words that scared me, "_I love you." _It was only our first 'date', and you already had your feelings on the table. I had a feeling however, it was the alcohol talking. You didn't call for a few weeks but by then I was already carrying your child. I simply can't be a part of his life, as I don't have much time left in mine. I was diagnosed with cancer and my choice was to fight or grow our baby. I chose to grow our son, and in turn I felt a once in a life time opportunity. I have left his name up to you; he was born two days ago. He was tiny, but I knew he was yours immediately when I saw the deep brown eyes and thick black hair. He is truly beautiful, and I hope that you raise him to become a good man like yourself. Please see attached some photo's I have that were taken during my pregnancy and a few with our son once he was born. I also have attached a letter written to him that I would like you to give to him once he's old enough. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more information, but I hope that everything goes well.

With Love,

Layla Beckett

_Darry watched Johnny read the letter a few times before looking at the infant in Violet's arms. He reached for him and Darry watched as emotions washed over Johnny's face before tears ran down slowly. Violet picked up the envelop and saw numerous photo's fall out along with a cheque. _

"_H-Holy…" Violet said, looking at the number on the cheque. Johnny looked over and Violet showed him the cheque. _

"_Wow…" He said, before sitting down, going back to staring at his son. _

"_What are you going to name him?" Darry asked softly and Johnny bite his lip,_

"_Beckett Curtis Dallas Cade." He said, and Darry grinned, patting Johnny's shoulder. _

Violet smiled at him from where she was looking at her magazine and the doorbell rang. Violet grinned and quickly went over to the door and opened it, squealing and hugging her best friend from California. Tabitha had long honey brown hair, bright hazel eyes, and a round friendly face. The girls talked quickly before Tabitha laid her eyes on Johnny. With the wedding only a few weeks away she couldn't wait.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to:<strong>

**SodapopsOnlyGirl**

**GreaserGirlie**

**Weaslytwins12**

**MusicLover24**

***MusicLover24: I promise to have more Leti in the wedding chapter don't worry **


	41. Forever and Always

"Tabitha what are you even _talking _about?" Violet asked, giggling since she was tipsy, it was her last night of being "single forever" as Evie put it jokingly.

"I'm saying that the boy in your house was gorgeous! What was his name?" She asked, getting frustrated at her more than tipsy friend. They had taken away the alcohol so that Violet wouldn't be drunk in the morning, but she was still tipsy.

"You mean Johnny," Lexi said softly, smiling. "He's single but he has a son."

Tabitha nodded, "I don't care about the son… What's he do? What's his job?"

"Well, right now he's working towards becoming a firefighter." Tabitha nodded and rolled her eyes when Violet started to giggle.

"I have the _best_ fiancée ever," Violet said, lying on her couch upside down. "We always have _the best_ sex and the _best_ time in the shower and the _best _time when the kids go to bed." She laughed drunkly again and the girls rolled their eyes.

"How are you feeling Evie?" Lexi asked and Evie shrugged, she was going to be in the wedding in her wheel chair.

"Good, Steve's been amazing lately… He's been helping me out a lot. I just feel terrible that he… He wants me to marry him and I'm going to be stuck in a wheel chair for a year at least." She said softly, not having had any alcohol.

* * *

><p>"Man, I just love her so much." Steve said, and Darry rolled his eyes,<p>

"Man this is _my_ night!" He complained and Sodapop laughed, tossing Steve another beer. Since they didn't have that much money in the wedding budget they just decided to use the house outback as their "location", and he had all of the guys from the gang just hanging out.

Johnny walked out from the back room, having just put his son Beckett to bed after feeding him,

"Jesus Johnny loosen up," Dallas said from the coffee table, playing poker with Two-bit and Pony. He took a can of beer from the fridge and threw it at Johnny, who caught it and put it down, sitting down beside Pony.

"How does it feel to be signing your life away, Dar?" Sodapop asked jokingly and Darry grinned,

"God it feels great." Darry grinned and leaned back in his chair, "I just can't wait for her to be mine, officially."

* * *

><p>The next morning Darry stood in front of the mirror fixing his bow tie. The wedding was going to be in Woodward Park, near the waterfall. It was the perfect location, and Darry knew it was the location that Violet had dreamed about and since the owner knew his father he was able to get in with the short notice.<p>

Once his tie was tight and proper he loosened it and took his shirt off, replacing it with a black shirt. Ponyboy and Soda walked out, in identical suits. Darry grinned at the look of them, and was overcome with sadness. He wished his mom and dad were here to witness his marriage, to see how his brothers have turned out, and to see how handsome they looked. Pony noticed Darry's glassy eyes and hugged Darry, and Sodapop joined in.

"Mom and dad would be so proud of you guys," Darry said, and they pulled away.

"They would be proud of you too Dar," Soda said, patting his brother on the shoulder. "A father and a soon to be husband at this age Dar… They would love Violet too."

* * *

><p>"How are you doing Violet?" Tabitha asked and Violet chewed on her nail nervously.<p>

"What if he decides I'm not worth it?" She asked nervously and Evie smiled, knowing that this would come up at some point.

"Violet, he won't decide after marrying you that you're not worth it. If he lost you once and fought for you back, he wouldn't decide to run out after you're married." Violet nodded, putting her faux pearl earrings in. Her maid of honor was Tabitha, and she grinned when her mother came in.

"Oh Violet you look beautiful." She said, and Violet blushed. Her brown hair was curled in a way that it would stay out of her face, a light amount of blush and concealer were on her face, and she had a light amount of eyeliner on.

The reception was beautiful, wooden chairs set up in rows, as most of her family would be attending the wedding and all of Darry's old friends from school and some from work would be attending as well. On the end of every isle was a pot of flowers that consisted of orange, yellow, and red flowers. Lining where the chair legs were was a mix of flower petals mixed with the same colors as those in the pots.

"Are you almost ready honey?" Her mother asked and Violet nodded.

Lexi walked over to Violet and handed her a small box, and Violet opened it to see two blue sapphire earrings, "Something blue." She said smiling. Violet hugged her and turned to see Evie with a box in her lap.

"Something new," She said, handing Violet the box, and when she opened it she saw a small pendant, with a diamond in the middle. With teary eyes she thanked Evie, and grinned at Tabitha, who held a gift bag.

"Something borrowed," Tabitha told her, and Violet looked in to see her best friends strapless bra. She hugged her and whispered thank you into her ear before opening the last gift from her mother before the wedding, something old.

Her mother kissed Violet's head carefully and then placed something heavy and cold in her hand. She looked to see a small hair piece in her hand with a flower on it.

"Thanks Mommy," She said, and her mother smiled.

"You're welcome beautiful. Are you almost ready to get your dress on? The boys just arrived." She said and Violet nodded, pulling her sweatpants and shirt off, changing her bra so it was strapless and let the girls help her put her dress on, moving carefully so she won't rip it. The girls all grinned and gasped, and Violet looked in the mirror happily. This was the dress she dreamed of, and her parents were generous enough to pay to have her dress made.

There was a soft knock at the door and Violet called, "Come in!" And she grinned, tears in her eyes when she saw Leti walk in. She walked over and enveloped her in a big hug.

"I'm so glad you could make it," She said, and Leti grinned.

"I wouldn't miss this Violet," Leti told her smiling before changing into her bridesmaid dress. Violet looked at herself one last time in the mirror before her dad knocked on the door and walked in,

"Hello ladies. Everything is in place and it's time for us to head out now baby girl," He said. He didn't want to let his little girl go, but he knew that he could trust Darrel.

The girls got in order and started to walk out one by one, until the music started and Violet laced her arm through her dads.

"Are you ready?" Her dad asked, and she nodded, and began the walk towards the alter. However once she saw Darry's grin eating at his face, she knew this was the right choice. He stepped forward once they had reached the alter and took Violet's hand from her father.

"You take good care of her, you hear me?" He told Darry, and Darry nodded, his grin not faltering.

"I wouldn't dream of anything else." They stepped back and the ceremony began.

* * *

><p>When it came to the vows, Darry went first.<p>

"Violet, you are truly my flower. You are the light in my life, the joy in my days, and your love keeps me functioning and focused every minute of every day. When I lost you while you were in California I've never felt so confused and lonely in my life. I still thank God every day that I have you back, and that you're mine again.

I, Darry Curtis, take you, Violet Hayes, to be my friend, my lover, the mother of my children and my wife. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity." Tears were running down Violet's face when he finished, then it was her turn.

"Darry, I made the wrong choice to leave your love, strong embrace, and kindness behind. I went searching for something in California that I didn't realize that something I was looking for was your embrace, holding me when I'm upset, in pain, or tired. Without you Darry I don't know where I'd be, but I know that now that I have you, I won't ever let you go without a fight. You're the love of my life, my best friend, and everything I've ever dreamed of and hoped for in a man.

I, Violet Hayes, take you, Darry Curtis, to be my friend, my lover, the father of my children and my husband. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity."

The priest said a few more words before,

"Darrel, do you take Violet to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; and promise to be faithful to her until death do you part?"

"I do," Darry said grinning, taking Violet's hands in both of his.

"Violet, do you take Darrel to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; and promise to be faithful to him until death do you part?"

"I do." Violet said, and the priest grinned, and while the young couple looked into each other's eyes the priest announced,

"I now pronounce you husband, and wife." And Darry quickly pulled Violet into his arms before dipping her to the side, and he passionately kissed his wife.

* * *

><p><strong>This, unfortunately is the final chapter. I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to write it, but I'm upset that this is the end. <strong>

**To everyone who has read, reviewed, and added alerts, thank you for your continued support. **

**Please, go to my profile and take a look at the Wedding Edition, the links to the dresses and reception for the wedding. **

**Don't be afraid to message me, hopefully I will have the sequel up and running soon. I love you all. **


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